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NYPL  RESEARCH  LIBRARIES 


3  3433  08181645  0 


ISJ) 

196 


A   HISTORY 


OF  THE 


JUNIATA  VALLEY 

AND    ITS    PEOPLE        l 

UNDER  THE  EDITORIAL  SUPERVISION  OF 

JOHN  W.  JORDAN,  LL.D. 

Librarian  of  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  Philadelphia 


VOLUME     I 


— 1 i—t  i'   i  * 


ILLXrSTkAf  ED 


NEW  YORK 

LEWIS   HISTORICAL   PUBLISHING   COMPANY 

1913 


iri£Ni:W  YORK 
PUBLIC     LIBRARY 

ASTOR,  LENOX" AND 

TILD    N  FOUNDATIONS 

R  1914    .        , 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I  PAGE 

Physical  Features,  Geology,  etc. — Juniata  River — Principal  Mountains — 
Geological  Formation — Coal  and  Iron — Early  Mining — Limestone,  Sand- 
stones— Clay,  Ocher,  Lead — Glass  Sand 1-13 

CHAPTER  II 

Aboriginal  Inhabitants — Relics  in  Juniata  County — Indian  Groups:  The  Five 
Nations,  the  Susquehannas,  the  Juniatas,  the  Tuscaroras     ....     14-25 

CHAPTER  III 

The  Era  of  Settlement — First  White  Men  in  Pennsylvania — First  Mention 
OF  the  Juniata  Valley — Indian  Towns — The  Squatters — George  Croghan 
— Murder  of  Armstrong,  Smith  and  Arnold — Land  Office  Opened   .      .     26-42 

CHAPTER  IV 

First  Counties  in  Pennsylvania — Huntingdon  County — Location  of  County 

Seat — First  Officers — Reduction  in  Size — Present  Area 43-67 

CHAPTER  V 

Huntingdon  County:  Present  Townships — List  of  Post  Offices — Rural  Free 

Delivery  Routes 68-94 

CHAPTER  VI 

Mifflin  County — Included  in  Ccmberi  AND;CouNT'i">r-'Qi5'3ANiZATiON  of  Town- 
ships— First  Jail — CourtHou^cs— JREp<!;cTiojjs'ij6'ARiEii^CiviL  List    .     .  95-115 

CHAPTEll'VlI  •;{  ■ 

Mifflin  County:  Townships,  Borouchs.^tc ^vLew:st0wn — McVeytown — New- 
ton Hamilton — Allensville — BEi.rfiv-.LLFr^BttkN'fiAM — Granville — Mait- 
land — Milroy — Reedsville — Wagner' — Yeagertown 116-141 

CHAPTER  VIII 
Juniata  County — First  Court  House  and  Jail — Civil  List 142-152 

CHAPTER  IX 

Juniata  County:  Townships,  Boroughs,  etc. — Present  Thirteen  Townships — 

The  Boroughs:   Mifflintown,    Mifflin,   Port  Royal,   Thompsontown   153-180 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  X  PAGE 

Perry  CoiiNTY — First  Jail — Court  House — Railroads — Civil  List     .      .      .  181-192 

CHAPTER  XI 

Perry  County:  Townships,  Boroughs,  etc. — The  Nine  Boroughs:  New  Bloom- 
field,  Blain,  Duncannon,  Landisburg,  Liverpool,  Marysville,  Millers- 
town,  Newport,  New  Buffalo — Shermansdale 193-226 

CHAPTER  Xn 

Military    History — Early    Forts — Indian    Raids — The    Revolution — Juniata 

Companies — Frontier  Forts 227-249 

CHAPTER  XIII 

Military  History,  Continued — War  with  Mexico — The  Civil  War — Sketches 

of  Regiments 250-276 

CHAPTER  XIV 

Roads  and  Transportation — Indian  Trails — First  Public  Highways — Turn- 
pikes— Early  Stage  Routes — Canals  and  Railroads 277-291 

CHAPTER  XV 

Finance  and  Industries — Early  Furnaces  and  Forges — Duncannon  Iron 
Works — Logan  Iron  and  Steel  Company — Standard  Steel  Works — Mann's 
Axe  Factory — Shoe  Factory — Car  Works — J.  C.  Blair  Company — Silk 
Mills — Glass  Sand — Coal  Mining — Water  Power  and  Electricity — Agri- 
cultural Societies  and  Fairs — Farmers'  Institutes 292-310 

CHAPTER  XVI 

The  Professions — Early  Courts — Prominent  Members  of  the  Bar — The  Med- 
ical Profession — MtticAL'SoCifiTiKs:    ,*.'*:.;■: 311-327 

chapter;  it^ii 

Educational  Development — ^The  BXRi-t  .SdiiooLS — Private  Academies — Free 
School  System  iNAUGURATED^-JiiNiATA  College — Lewistown  Library — 
The  Press — Historical  fSo'cte?y,  .V; .'"; ;     ;. 328-342 

chapter  XVIII 
Religious  History — First  Missionaries — The  Various  Denominations   .       343-375 

CHAPTER  XIX 

Charities  and  Fraternities — Loysville  Orphans'  Home — Huntingdon  Home 
FOR  Orphans  and  Friendless  Children — Lewistown  Hospital — Blair  Me- 
morial Hospital — Benevolent  and  Fraternal  Societies     ....       376-380 


FOREWORD 


THE  present  work,  "A  History  of  the  Juniata  Valley  and  Its  People," 
presents  in  the  aggregate  an  amount  and  variety  of  genealogical  and 
personal  information  and  portraiture  unequalled  by  any  kindred  pub- 
lication.    No  similar  work  has  ever  before  been  presented,  and  it  contains 
a   great   amount  of   ancestral   history   never   before   printed.     The   object, 
clearly  defined  and  well  digested,  is  threefold : 

First.  To  present  in  concise  form  an  outline  history  of  the  Juniata 
Valley. 

Second.   To  preserve  a  record  of  its  prominent  present-day  people. 

Third.  To  present  through  personal  sketches  the  relation  of  its  promi- 
nent families  of  all  times  to  the  growth,  singular  prosperity  and  widespread 
influence  of  the  Juniata  Valley,  Pennsylvania. 

Unique  in  conception  and  treatment,  this  work  constitutes  one  of  the 
most  original  and  permanently  valuable  contributions  ever  made  to  the 
social  history  of  an  American  community.  In  it  are  arrayed  in  a  lucid  and 
dignified  manner  all  the  important  facts  regarding  the  ancestry,  personal 
careers  and  matrimonial  alliances  of  those  who,  in  each  succeeding  genera- 
tion, have  been  accorded  leading  positions  in  social,  professional  and  busi- 
ness life.  It  is  not  based  upon,  neither  does  it  minister  to,  aristocratic 
prejudices  and  assumptions.  On  the  contrary,  its  fundamental  ideas  are 
thoroughly  American  and  democratic.  The  work  everywhere  conveys  the 
lesson  that  distinction  has  been  gained  only  by  honorable  public  service,  or 
by  usefulness  in  n-'-^-ate  station,  and  that  the  development  and  prosperity 
of  the  region  of  wnich  it  treats  have  been  dependent  upon  the  character  of 
its  citizens,  and  in  the  stimulus  which  they  have  given  to  commerce,  to  in- 
dustry, to  the  arts  and  sciences,  to  education  and  religion — to  all  that  is 
comprised  in  the  highest  civilization  of  the  present  day — through  a  con- 
tinual progressive  development. 

The  inspiration  underlying  the  present  work  is  a  fervent  appreciation 
of  the  truth  so  well  expressed  by  Sir  Walter  Scott,  that  "there  is  no  heroic 
poem  in  the  world  but  is  at  the  bottom  the  life  of  a  man."     And  with  this 


goes  a  kindred  truth,  that  to  know  a  man,  and  rightly  measure  his  character, 
and  weigh  his  achievements,  we  must  know  wlience  he  came,  from  what 
forbears  he  sprang.  Truly  as  heroic  poems  have  been  written  in  human 
lives  in  tlie  paths  of  peace  as  in  the  scarred  roads  of  war.  Such  examples, 
in  whatever  line  of  endeavor,  are  of  much  worth  as  an  incentive  to  those 
who  come  afterward,  and  as  such  were  never  so  needful  to  be  written  of 
as  in  the  present  day,  when  pessimism,  forgetful  of  the  splendid  lessons 
of  the  past,  withholds  its  efforts  in  the  present,  and  views  the  future  only 
with  alarm. 

Every  community  with  such  ample  history  should  see  that  it  be  worthily 
supplemented  by  Genealogical  and  Personal  Memoirs  of  its  leading  fam- 
ilies and  prominent  citizens.  Such  a  work  is  that  which  is  now  presented. 
And,  it  should  be  admitted,  the  undertaking  possesses  value  of  the  highest 
importance — in  its  historic  utility  as  a  memorial  of  the  development  and 
progress  of  the  commimity  from  its  very  founding,  and  in  the  personal 
interest  which  attaches  to  the  record  made  by  the  individual.  On  both 
these  accounts  it  will  prove  a  highly  useful  contribution  to  literature,  and 
a  valuable  legacy  to  future  generations.  In  the  production  of  this  work, 
no  pains  have  been  spared  to  ensure  absolute  truth — that  quality  upon 
which  its  value  in  every  feature  depends.  The  material  comprising  the 
genealogical  and  personal  records  of  the  active  living,  as  well  as  of  the 
honored  dead,  have  been  gathered  by  men  and  women  experienced  in  such 
work  and  acquainted  with  local  history  and  ancestral  families.  These  have 
appealed  to  the  custodians  of  family  records  concerning  the  useful  men  of 
preceding  generations,  and  of  their  descendants  who  have  lived  useful  and 
honorable  lives.  Such  custodians,  who  have  availed  themselves  of  this 
opportunity  of  having  this  knowledge  placed  in  preservable  and  accessible 
form,  have  performed  a  public  service  in  rendering  honor  to  whom  honor 
is  due,  and  in  inculcating  the  most  valuable  and  enduring  lessons  of  patriot- 
ism and  good  citizenship. 

No  other  region  in  the  United  States  presents  a  field  of  greater  interest 
for  such  research.  Its  history  reaches  back  to  the  beginning  days  of  the 
Nation.  It  is  exceedingly  rich  in  Indian  antiquities,  and  here  the  aborigines 
have  left  many  of  their  most  indelible  marks.  It  was  the  scene  of  historic 
events  during  the  French  occupation,  and  here  The  Great  Washington,  as  a 
young  man,  came  to  take  part  in  scenes  which  led  to  the  French  expul- 
sion. The  immigrant  settlers  in  this  region  were  of  the  best  blood  and 
sinew.  They  fought  valiantly  and  endured  the  most  dreadful  privations 
in  the  early  days,  and  later  they  were  a  part  of  the  very  backbone  of  the 
Patriot  Army  in  the  Revolution.  Later  yet.  the  sons  of  these  worthy  sires 
bore  their  full  share  in  the  maintenance  of  the  Union,  shedding  their  blood 
upon  many  a  glorious   field,  including  that   of  Gettysburg,   in    their  own 


State,  destined  to  form  a  brilliant  page  in  the  history  of  the  Nation  to  the 
end  of  time.  The  restoration  of  peace  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War 
witnessed  a  remarkable  development,  and  has  made  this  region  one  of  the 
most  wonderfully  valuable  in  the  whole  land,  its  natural  resources  and 
the  products  of  its  labor  entering  into  every  phase  of  commercial  and  in- 
dustrial life. 

These  records  are  presented  in  a  series  of  independent  genealogical  and 
personal  sketches  relating  to  lineal  family  heads,  and  the  most  conspicuous 
representatives  in  the  present  generation.  There  is  an  entire  avoidance  of 
the  stereotyped  and  unattractive  manner  in  which  such  data  are  usually 
presented.  The  past  is  linked  to  the  present  in  such  style  as  to  form  a 
symmetrical  narrative  exhibiting  the  lines  of  descent,  and  the  history  of 
distinguished  members  in  each  generation,  thus  giving  to  it  a  distinct  per- 
sonal interest.  That  these  ends  have  been  conscientiously  and  faithfully 
conserved  is  assured  by  the  cordial  personal  interest  and  recognized  ca- 
pability of  the  supervising  editors,  who  have  long  pursued  historical  and 
genealogical  investigations  with  intelligence  and  enthusiasm.  The  pub- 
lishers are  under  special  obligations  to  John  W.  Jordan,  LL.D.,  librarian 
of  the  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  Philadelphia;  Prof.  Jacob  H. 
Brumbaugh,  of  Huntingdon ;  Mr.  W.  H.  Sponsler,  of  New  Bloomfield ;  and 
Mr.  George  R.  Frysinger,  of  Lewistown. 

In  order  to  insure  greatest  possible  accuracy,  all  matter  for  this  work 
was  submitted  in  typewritten  manuscript  to  the  persons  most  interested 
for  correction.  If,  in  any  case,  a  sketch  is  incomplete  or  faulty,  the  short- 
coming is  ascribable  to  the  paucity  of  data  obtainable,  many  families  being 
without  exact  records  in  their  family  line;  while,  in  some  cases,  represen- 
tatives of  a  given  family  are  at  a  disagreement  as  to  names  of  some  of  their 
forbears,  important  dates,  etc.  It  is  believed  that  the  present  work,  in 
spite  of  the  occasional  fault  which  attaches  to  such  undertakings,  will 
prove  a  real  addition  to  the  mass  of  annals  concerning  the  historic  families 
of  the  Juniata  Valley,  and  that,  without  it,  much  valuable  information 
would  be  inaccessible  to  the  general  reader,  or  irretrievably  lost,  owing  to 
the  passing  away  of  custodians  of  family  records,  and  the  consequent  dis- 
appearance of  material  in  their  possession. 

The  Publishers. 


History  of  the  Juniata  Valley 

CHAPTER  I 
PHYSICAL    FEATURES,    GEOLOGY,    ETC. 

The  Juniata  River — Its  Tributaries — Origin  of  the  Name — General  Surface  of  the 
District  Inchided  in  this  Work — Principal  ^lountains — How  Mountains  Are 
Formed — Geological  Societj^  of  Pennsylvania — Geological  Surveys — Table  Show- 
ing Geological  Formations — Economic  Geolog}- — Coal — Iron  Ores — Their  Charac- 
ter and  Distribution — Early  ^Mining  Operations — Limestone — Sandstones — Clay — 
Ocher — Lead  Ore — Glass  Sand. 

THE  Juniata  river  is  formed  of  two  Ijranches — the  Little  Juniata 
and  the  Raystown  branch.  The  former  rises  near  HoUidays- 
burg,  in  Blair  county,  flows  northeast  to  Tyrone,  where  it 
makes  an  abrupt  turn  to  the  southeast,  forming  part  of  the  boundary 
line  between  Huntingdon  and  Blair  counties,  and  follows  that  general 
direction  across  Huntingdon  county.  The  Raystown  branch  has  its 
source  a  short  distance  west  of  Raystown  in  Bedford  county.  Its 
general  course  is  northeast  until  it  unites  with  the  Little  Juniata  about 
half  way  between  Huntingdon  and  ^Nlapleton  to  form  the  Juniata  river 
proper.  The  principal  tributaries  of  the  Little  Juniata  are  Bald  Eagle, 
Spruce,  Shavers  and  Standing  Stone  creeks  from  the  north,  and  Canoe 
and  Clover  creeks  from  the  south.  Coffee  run,  James  and  Great  Trough 
creeks  are  the  only  tributaries  of  consequence  to  the  Raystown  branch. 
From  the  junction  of  the  two  branches,  the  main  stream  of  the  Juniata 
flows  southeast  for  some  fifteen  miles,  forming  part  of  the  boundary 
between  Huntingdon  and  IMifflin  counties.  It  then  flows  in  a  north- 
easterly direction  through  ]\Iifflin  county  and  enters  Juniata  county  about 
five  miles  east  of  Lewistown.  From  this  point  its  general  direction  is 
a  little  south  of  east  through  the  counties  of  Juniata  and  Perry  until 
it  empties  its  waters  into  the  Suscjuehanna  river  near  the  town  of 
Duncannon.     The  principal  tributaries   of  the  main  stream   from  the 

I 


2  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

north  are  the  Kishacoquillas  and  Jack's  creeks  in  JNIifflin  county;  Lost 
creek,  Doe  run  and  Delaware  run  in  Juniata  county;  and  Cocolamus 
creek  in  Perry  county.  Those  from  the  south  are  the  Licking  and 
Tuscarora  creeks  in  Juniata  county,  and  Raccoon  and  Buffalo  creeks 
in  Perry  county. 

"Juniata"  is  a  word  of  Indian  origin.  As  early  as  1614  the  Dutch 
established  a  trading  post  at  Albany,  New  York,  and  soon  after  that 
date  three  men  belonging  to  the  post  followed  the  ^lohawk  river  and 
by  crossing  the  watershed  to  Otsego  lake  reached  the  head  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna river.  This  stream  they  descended  for  some  distance,  when 
they  crossed  over  to  the  Delaware  river.  They  were  captured  by  the 
]\Iinequa  Indians  near  the  Trenton  Falls,  but  were  released  through 
the  efforts  of  Captain  Hendrickson,  who  was  then  engaged  in  exploring 
the  country  along  the  Delaware  river  and  bay.  In  1841  a  map  showing 
the  travels  of  these  three  Dutchmen  was  found  at  The  Hague.  L'pon 
this  map,  in  the  region  of  the  Juniata  valley,  is  marked  the  country 
of  an  Indian  tribe  called  the  "lottecas"  and  some  writers  think  this 
was  an  effort  on  the  part  of  the  Dutch  map  makers  to  write  the  name 
from  which  the  modern  word  Juniata  is  derived. 

During  the  last  half  of  the  seventeenth  century  a  number  of  maps 
were  published,  all  showing  the  Susquehanna  river  approximately  cor- 
rect, but  giving  very  few  details  of  the  country  west  of  that  river. 
Everts,  Peck  &  Richards'  History  of  the  Sus(|uehanna  and  Juniata 
valleys  (p.  28)  says:  "On  all  these  maps,  on  the  west  side  of  the  river 
just  where  the  Juniata  belongs,  there  is  the  name  of  an  Indian  tribe 
called  'Onojutta  Haga' — a  name  which  beyond  all  doubt  contains  the 
root  of  the  word  from  which  'Juniata'  is  derived.  'Haga'  is  the  Mohawk 
word  for  people,  tribe  or  nation;  the  first  part  means  a  projecting 
stone." 

Throughout  the  four  counties  embraced  in  this  work — Huntingdon, 
Mifflin,  Juniata  and  Perry — the  surface  is  generally  broken  or  hilly. 
Bald  Eagle  ridge  forms  the  northwestern  boundary  of  Huntingdon 
county,  extending  from  Tyrone  to  the  Center  county  line.  Farther 
east,  along  the  eastern  side  of  Spruce  creek,  is  Tussey's  mountain. 
Warrior's  ridge  crosses  Huntingdon  county  near  Petersburg.  Standing 
Stone  and  Jack's  mountains  form  a  considerable  portion  of  the  boun- 
dary line  between  Huntingdon  and  ]Mifflin  counties.     Shade  mountain, 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  3 

east  of  Lewistown,  is  a  broken  range  extending  from  Snyder  county 
southwest  into  Juniata  and  Huntingdon  counties.  The  Blue  ridge 
forms  part  of  the  boundary  between  Mifflin  and  Juniata  counties. 
Tuscarora  mountain  runs  along  the  line  between  Juniata  and  Perry, 
and  also  forms  part  of  the  boundary  between  the  counties  of  Hunting- 
don and  Franklin.  Southeast  of  the  Tuscarora  range  is  the  Cone- 
cocheague  hill.  Through  the  central  part  of  Perry  county  run  the 
Bowers  mountain  and  the  Limestone  ridge;  northeast  of  the  Juniata 
river  is  Half  Falls  mountain;  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county 
are  the  Peters  and  Cove  mountains,  while  along  the  southern  border, 
separating  it  from  Cumberland  county,  runs  the  Blue  mountain.  The" 
general  direction  of  these  mountain  ranges  is  from  northeast  to  south- 
west and  between  them  are  fertile  valleys  of  varying  width,  which 
constitute  the  agricultural  districts  of  the  four  counties. 

Mountains  have  been  formed  upon  the  earth's  surface  either  by 
a  lateral  pressure  of  the  contracting  earth,  or  by  the  erosion  of  super- 
ficial waters.  The  first  of  these  causes  is  based  upon  the  theory  that, 
during  the  process  of  formation  and  development,  the  interior  of  the 
earth  cooled  more  rapidly  than  the  exterior  and  the  outside  of  the 
earth,  following  the  contracting  interior,  was  subjected  to  a  powerful 
lateral  pressure  which  continued  until  the  horizontal  thrust  caused 
a  yielding  or  upheaval,  resulting  in  the  formation  of  an  elevation  or 
mountain  range.  Several  of  these  ranges  lying  close  together  and 
approximately  parallel  to  each  other  constitute  a  mountain  system. 
Early  geologists  believed  and  taught  that  the  tremendous  lateral 
pressure  upon  the  earth's  surface  brought  about  a  great  convulsion  of 
nature  and  the  sudden  formation  of  mountains.  Those  of  more  modern 
days  teach  that  the  evolution  of  mountains  was  a  slow  process,  thou- 
sands or  even  millions  of  years  having  been  required  to  build  up  such 
a  system  as  the  Appalachian,  to  which  the  mountains  of  Pennsylvania 
belong.  This  theory  is  sustained  by  the  fact  that  in  many  instances 
streams  have  cut  through  mountain  ranges,  a  phenomenon  that  can  be 
explained  only  by  the  supposition  that  the  elevations  rose  so  gradually 
that  the  streams  were  able  to  cut  them  down  and  thus  maintain  their 
course.  Some  geologists  insist  that  the  process  is  still  going  on  and 
that  as  the  earth  continues  to  grow  colder  the  lateral  pressure  will 
add  to  the  height  of  existing  mountains,  or  new  ones  will  be  formed. 


4  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXJATA    VALLEY 

Regarding  the  second  agency — the  erosion  by  superficial  waters — 
it  is  generally  conceded  that  "Isolated  peaks,  all  cross-valleys,  all  ridges 
have  been  produced  by  erosion,  and  even  sometimes  where  originally 
valleys  existed  now  are  mountains."  Careful  estimates  show  that  the 
sediment  carried  by  the  Mississippi  river  lowers  the  surface  of  the 
entire  basin  drained  by  that  stream  and  its  tributaries  one  foot  every 
five  thousand  years.  How  a  similar  work  is  carried  on  by  the  Juniata 
river  is  shown  by  E.  W.  Claypole,  who  was  connected  with  the  second 
geological  survey  of  Pennsylvania.  On  page  39  of  Report  F-2,  he 
says: 

"But  very  few  people  have  any  idea  of  the  amount  of  work  done 
by  a  single  river  like  the  Juniata  in  transporting  the  land  into  the  sea. 
In  ordinary  weather,  a  gallon  of  Juniata  water  carries  about  8  grains 
of  earthy  sediment,  or  one  pound  for  every  100  cubic  feet  of  water. 

"At  Millerstown,  the  river  is  about  600  feet  wide  and  4  feet  deep, 
with  a  current  flowing  about  two  miles  an  hour;  that  is,  24,000,000 
cubic  feet  of  water  pass  Millerstown  every  hour,  carrying  240,000 
pounds  (120  tons)  of  rock  sediment.  In  other  words,  1,000,000  cubic 
yards  of  the  rock  waste  of  Juniata,  Mifflin,  Huntingdon  and  Blair 
counties  pass  through  Perry  county  down  the  Juniata  river  to  the  sea 
every  year.  The  water  basin  from  which  this  river  sediment  comes 
measures  about  ten  billion  square  yards.  Its  average  loss  per  year, 
therefore,  is  about  the  ten  thousandth  of  a  yard.  If  we  take  into  ac- 
count the  gravel  and  stones  rolled  down  the  river  in  flood  times,  and 
carried  down  by  the  ice,  it  will  be  safe  to  call  it  the  five-thousandth 
of  a  yard. 

"The  whole  surface  of  the  Juniata  country  has,  therefore,  been 
lowered  say  one  foot  in  1,500  years,  or  3,000  yards  in  13,500,000 
years ;  that  is,  supposing  the  climate  was  always  the  same  and  the 
Juniata  river  never  did  more  work  than  it  does  now.  But  as  there  is 
every  reason  for  believing  that  the  erosion  in  earlier  ages  was  much 
more  violent,  and  the  river  far  more  a  torrent,  the  time  required  to 
account  for  the  erosion  of  the  country  may  reasonably  be  reduced  to  ten 
or  even  five  millions  of  years,  a  length  of  time  justified  by  the  vast 
deposits  of  the  Triassic,  Jurassic,  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  ages." 

This  statement  of  Mr.  Claypole  may  seem  unreasonable  to  many 
persons  who  have  not  studied  the  subject,  but  a  more  startling  example 
of  erosion  in  Pennsylvania  is  given  by  J.  P.  Lesley,  state  geologist  in 
charge  of  the  second  survey.    He  says : 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    A'ALLEY  5 

"The  coal-beds  which  were  formed  just  at  the  sea-level  were  ele- 
vated in  some  parts  of  jVIiddle  Pennsylvania  to  a  height  eqvial  to  nearly 
the  whole  thickness  of  the  PaL-eozoic  system — that  is,  nearly  thirty-five 
thousand  feet,  higher  than  the  highest  summits  of  the  Himalaya  Moun- 
tains. Frost  above,  and  the  undermining  rains  below,  began  their  rapid 
work  of  destruction,  which  has  lasted  ever  since.  Nearly  the  whole 
area  of  the  State  east  of  the  Allegheny  Mountains  lost  not  only  its  coal 
measures,  but  a  vast  majority  of  all  the  mineral  strata  underneath 
them.  All  that  escaped  destruction  was  what  lay  in  the  deep  synclinal 
basins  of  the  anthracite  country,  the  little  patch  of  Broad  Top  and  the 
tip  of  the  Cumberland  or  Frostburg  basin.  For  scores  of  miles  the 
entire  Palreozoic  system  was  excavated  and  planed  down  to  the  lime- 
stone at  the  base  of  the  system.  Along  the  central  lines  of  the  Kish- 
acoc|uillas.  Xittau}-.  Canoe  and  other  valleys  the  old  Laurentian  system 
cannot  be  more  than  one  thousand  feet  below  the  present  surface.  All 
the  rest  has  been  carried  off.  The  destruction  was  the  greatest  where 
the  elevation  was  the  greatest — along  the  middle  belt  of  the  Appa- 
lachian Mountains.  Out  of  this  destruction  were  created,  on  the  eastern 
side.  New  Jersey,  Delaware,  and  the  tide-water  country  of  Maryland 
and  Virginia;  and  on  the  western  side,  the  lower  half  of  Alabama  and 
nearly  the  whole  of  Mississippi  and  Louisiana.  In  other  words,  the 
Protozoic  mountains  were  wasted  to  form  the  Palaeozoic  rocks  of  the 
interior;  and  the  Palaeozoic  mountains,  in  their  turn,  have  been  wasted 
to  form  the  Triassic,  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  rocks  of  the  seaboard." 

It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  the  greater  portion  of  the  world's 
mineral  wealth  is  found  in  mountainous  districts,  and  in  the  early  part 
of  the  last  century  many  persons  believed  that  rich  deposits  of  minerals 
were  to  be  found  in  the  region  drained  by  the  Juniata  river.  The 
geological  surveys  of  the  state  have  dispelled  to  a  considerable  degree 
this  belief.  Prior  to  1835  but  little  was  known  of  the  geology  of 
Pennsylvania.  Articles  on  certain  geological  features  of  the  state  had 
been  written  by  such  men  as  Thomas  Hutchins,  John  B.  Gibson,  George 
W.  Carpenter  and  others,  and  published  in  scientific  journals,  but  these 
articles  represented  only  the  disconnected  researches  of  private  in- 
dividuals. In  1832  the  Geological  Society  of  Pennsylvania  was  or- 
ganized with  seven  members,  and  John  B.  Gibson  was  elected  president. 
It  is  due  to  the  efforts  of  this  society  that  the  first  geological  survey 
was  authorized  by  the  act  of  March  29,  1836,  which  appropriated 
$6,400  annually  for  five  years,  and  Henry  D.  Rogers  was  appointed 
state  geologist.    The  legislature  of  1841-42  failed  to  make  an  appropn'a- 


6 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 


tion  to  continue  the  work,  owing  to  the  "financial  embarrassments  of 
the  Commonwealth,"  and  the  first  survey  came  to  an  end. 

The  second  survey  was  authorized  by  the  act  of  Alay  14,  1874, 
which  provided  for  a  board  of  commissioners  to  take  charge  of  the 
work.  This  board  of  commissioners  met  and  organized  on  June  5, 
1874,  and  appointed  J.  P.  Lesley  state  geologist,  whose  final  report  was 
made  in  1892.  Nothing  further  was  done  in  the  matter  of  a  geological 
survey  until  April  28,  1899,  when  the  Pennsylvania  legislature  made 
an  appropriation  "for  joint  work  with  the  United  States  Geological 
Survey."  That  work  is  still  in  progress,  with  Richard  R.  Hice,  of 
Beaver,  as  state  geologist. 

In  the  first  survey.  Professor  Rogers  numbered  the  main  forma- 
tions of  the  state  from  I  to  XII,  ranging  from  the  Potsdam  sandstone 
of  the  Cambrian  age  to  the  Coal  ^Measures  of  the  Carboniferous  age. 
These  numbers  form  the  basis  of  all  geological  investigation  which  has 
been  made  in  the  state  since  that  time.  On  page  36,  Report  F-2  of 
the  second  survey,  is  a  table  showing  thirteen  formations  of  the 
Palaeozoic  rocks,  as  exposed  in  the  Juniata  valley  and  the  counties  lying 
farther  south.  For  the  information  of  the  reader  that  table  is  here 
reproduced : 


No. 

N.\ME. 

Thickness. 

XIII 

Coal  Measures, 

2,500 

XII 

Pottsville, 

1,000 

XI 

IMauch  Chunk, 

2,500 

X 

Pocono, 

2,000 

IX 

Catskill, 

6,000 

'Chemung, 

3.000 

Portage, 

200 

VIII      . 

Genesee, 
Hamilton, 

200 
1,500 

Marcellus, 

200 

Upper  Helderberg, 

(absent) 

VII      < 

Cauda-Galli, 

(absent) 

Oriskany, 

25 

VI 

Lower  Helderberg, 

200 

V 

Onondaga, 

1.600 

'  Clinton, 

800 

IV 

1  Medina, 

1,500 

'Oneida, 

500 

Composition. 
Sandstone,  shale  and  coal. 
Pebbles  and  sandstone. 
Red  shale. 
Gray  sandstone. 
Red  sandstone  and   shale. 

Olive  sandstone  and  shale. 

Shale. 

Dark  shale. 

Shale  and  sandstone. 

Dark  shale   and  limestone. 


Sandstone. 

Limestone  and  shale. 

Shale. 

Red  sandstone  and  green  shale. 

Sandstones  and  shales. 

Conglomerate  and  shales. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

No. 


). 

Name. 

Thickness. 

Composition. 

IT 

^Hudson  River, 

I,00O 

Slates  and  shales. 

ii 

jutica, 

500 

Dark  shales. 

"Trenton, 

500 

Limestone. 

II 

I 

.  Chazy, 
Calciferoiis, 
Potsdam, 

|-     5.000 
2,000 

Limestone. 
Sandstone  and  slate. 

Total  thickness,  32,725  feet. 

In  the  above  table  No.  i  belongs  to  the  Cambrian  age;  Nos.  2 
and  3  to  the  Lower  Silurian;  Nos.  4  to  7,  inclusive,  to  the  Upper 
Silurian;  group  No.  8  to  the  Devonian,  and  Nos.  9  to  13  to  the 
Carboniferous.  The  Potsdam  sandstone  of  No.  i,  the  Chazy  and 
Calciferous  limestones  of  No.  2,  and  Nos.  12  and  13  are  not  found 
in  the  Juniata  district,  except  in  the  Broad  Top  coal  fields  of  Hunting- 
don county.  Commenting  upon  the  table,  the  report  from  which  it  is 
taken  says : 

"All  the  formations  vary  greatly  in  thickness  in  the  different  coun- 
ties, and  even  in  different  parts  of  a  county;  and  in  some  places  were 
not  deposited  at  all ;  so  that  the  thicknesses  assigned  to  them  in  the 
table  must  not  be  taken  as  exactly  correct,  but  only  as  general  indica- 
tions. ...  It  appears  then  that  more  than  six  miles  of  material 
accumulated  in  middle  Pennsylvania  while  it  was  the  bed  of  a  sea; 
so  that  in  places  where  these  rocks  exist  in  full  thickness  a  bore-hole 
would  have  to  be  sunk  to  that  depth  to  reach  the  Azoic  rocks  on  which 
they  lie." 

In  all  the  counties  of  this  district  the  lowest  rocks  are  of  the  Trenton 
formation.  The  highest  rocks  in  Huntingdon  belong  to  the  Coal 
Measures  and  are  found  in  the  Broad  Top  field.  In  Mifflin  and 
Juniata  the  highest  rocks  belong  to  the  Chemung  shale,  and  in  Perry 
county  the  highest  formation  is  the  Mauch  Chunk  red  shale.  Near 
Duncannon,  and  at  a  few  other  places  in  Perry,  are  found  narrow 
belts  of  a  dark,  tough  rock,  called  "trap-rock."  This  rock,  which  is 
easily  recognized  by  its  color,  weight  and  toughness,  is  thought  by  some 
authorities  to  be  a  form  of  lava,  forced  from  the  earth's  interior  in 
some  ancient  era.  Quartz,  the  basis  of  sandstone,  exists  in  all  the 
counties  and  geodes,  hollow  bowlders  studded  on  the  inside  with  quartz 
crystals,  have  been  found  in  Perry  county.    Berite  (sulphate  of  barium), 


8  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    \'ALLEY 

a  heavy  spar  used  chiefly  to  adulterate  white  lead,  has  been  found 
in  veins  of  limestone  in  Mifflin  county,  but  the  deposits  are  too  small 
to  be  of  any  commercial  value. 

To  describe  in  detail  the  varied  geological  features  of  the  Juniata 
vallev  would  recjuire  a  large  volume,  and  as  economic  geology — that 
is,  the  study  and  description  of  the  mineral  deposits  that  may  be  turned 
to  industrial  or  commercial  advantage — is  the  most  important  and  in- 
teresting branch  of  the  science,  the  remainder  of  this  chapter  will  be 
devoted  to  that  phase  of  the  subject.  Mention  has  already  been  made 
of  the  belief  of  a  century  ago,  that  the  mountain  ranges  along  the 
Juniata  were  full  of  mineral  wealth.  So  strong  was  this  belief  at  one 
time  that  large  sums  of  money  were  expended  by  optimistic  individuals 
in  boring  for  coal,  especially  in  Perry  county.  Small  deposits  of  this 
mineral  have  been  found  in  the  Devonian  rocks  near  Duncannon  in  two 
veins — one  ten  and  the  other  thirty  inches  in  thickness.  In  Berry 
mountain,  in  BuiTalo  township,  and  at  some  other  points  in  the  county 
there  are  shallow  veins,  but  the  coal  is  soft  and  contains  a  large  propor- 
tion of  ash,  so  that  the  deposits  cannot  be  worked  with  profit.  As 
the  great  coal  mines  of  the  w^orld  are  found  only  in  the  upper  forma- 
tions of  the  Carboniferous  age,  the  geological  survey  of  Pennsylvania 
proved  beneficial  to  those  seeking  coal  in  the  Juniata  region  by  showing 
that  no  coal  measures  were  to  be  found  in  that  part  of  the  state.  Since 
the  survey  no  further  expenditures  have  been  made  in  the  district,  except 
in  the  Broad  Top  field  in  Huntingdon  county.  Concerning  this  field, 
R.  A.  Ramsey,  of  ^^'ilkinsburg,  in  an  article  on  the  "Economic  Geology 
of  Pennsylvania,"  published  in  January,    1913.  says: 

"The  Broad  Top  IMountain  in  Huntingdon,  Bedford  and  Fulton 
counties  contains  the  eastern  or  isolated  basin,  and  covers  an  area  of 
fully  100  square  miles.  Coal  was  known  to  exist  in  that  region  at  the 
beginning  of  the  last  century,  and  mines  were  worked  over  one  hundred 
years  ago.  The  operations  were  on  an  exceedingly  small  scale  until  the 
completion  of  the  Huntingdon  &•  Broad  Top  and  the  East  Broad  Top 
railroads.  The  shipments  from  this  region  exceed  3,000,000  tons 
annually." 

In  this  connection  it  is  of  interest  to  note  that  the  first  coal  mines 
developed  in  the  United  States  were  in  the  bituminous  fields  of  western 
Pennsyh-ania.     As  early  as  1760  a  coal  mine  was  in  operation  across 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    \'ALLEY  9 

the  Monongahela  river  from  old  Fort  Pitt :  the  first  shipment  of  coal 
from  Pittsburgh  was  made  in  1803:  and  tlie  consumption  of  coal  in 
1910  was  over  85,000,000  tons.  Concerning  the  deposits  of  iron  ore 
in  Penns}"lvania,  Mr.  Ramsey  says : 

"The  iron  ores  of  our  state  may  be  grouped  under  four  classes: 
magnetite,  brown  hematite,  red  hematite  and  carbonate.  JNIeans  are 
not  accessible  by  which  the  output  of  the  different  kinds  can  be  given. 
There  are  six  different  iron  ore  fields  in  Pennsylvania :  The  Cambria 
field  includes  part  of  Somerset,  Cambria.  Bedford  and  Blair  counties. 
The  center  field  is  composed  of  parts  of  Huntingdon,  Centre  and  Clin- 
ton counties.  The  Lebanon  field  includes  parts  of  Cumberland,  Perrv, 
Dauphin,  Lebanon,  York  and  Lancaster  counties.  The  Schuylkill  field 
embraces  parts  of  Schu}dkill,  Berks,  Chester  and  Montgomery  counties. 
The  Scranton  field  is  made  up  of  parts  of  \Vyoming,  Lackawanna  and 
Luzerne  counties,  and  the  Clarion  field  of  parts  of  Clarion,  Jefferson 
and  Forest  counties." 

According  to  this  arrangement  of  ore  fields,  Huntingdon  and  Perry 
counties  are  the  only  ones  mentioned  as  belonging  to  the  ore-bearing 
districts.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Mr.  Ramsey  failed  to  include 
the  other  counties  in  the  Juniata  valley,  iron  ores  have  been  found  at 
various  places  in  the  valley,  the  principal  ones  being  hematite  or  fossil 
ore,  block  ore  and  linn  mite,  also  called  lirown  hematite.  Iron  ore  is 
seen  in  most  all  tiie  geological  formations,  but  the  most  profitable 
deposits  are  found  in  the  Clinton,  ilarcellus  and  Hamilton  beds,  which 
furnish  [iracticall}'  all  the  fossil  ore  in  the  four  counties. 

The  first  geological  survey  of  the  Juniata  valley  was  made  in 
1839-40  by  the  state  geologist,  H.  D.  Rogers,  assisted  by  Dr.  A.  H. 
Henderson.  The  latter's  investigations  were  made  along  the  east  side 
of  Shade  mountain,  on  Jack's  mountain  and  Sideling  ridge  and  ex- 
tended south  to  Blue  mountain.  This  surve}'  determined  the  existence 
of  a  fossil  ore  belt,  the  eastern  end  of  which  was  in  the  east  end 
of  Jack's  mountain  and  the  western  terminus  in  the  Black  Log  moun- 
tain. Outcrops  were  observed  all  along  the  south  flank  of  Jack's  moun- 
tain, in  the  east  end  of  Shade  mountain,  at  several  places  in  the  Blue 
ridge,  in  the  Black  Log  mountain,  along  the  west  side  of  Shade  mountain, 
and  in  the  ridges  on  both  sides  of  the  Juniata  river.  The  discovery 
of  these  deposits  of  ore  turned  attention  to  the  iron  industry,  and  ore 
banks  were  soon  opened  at  a  number  of  places  in  the  four  counties. 


lo  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

In  1874  a  more  complete  survey  of  the  fossil  ore  belt  in  the  Juniata 
district  was  made.  This  second  survey  determined  with  greater  ac- 
curacy the  extent  and  limits  of  the  ore  deposits,  noted  pockets  of 
hematite  in  the  Oriskany  shale  and  discovered  outcrops  of  the  Clinton 
formation  in  the  Tuscarora  mountain  in  Juniata  county. 

The  summary  of  the  final  report  of  the  state  geologist  for  1892 
(p.  750)  says:  "The  fossil  iron  ore  industry  of  Pennsylvania  has 
centered  at  Danville  and  Bloomsburg  on  the  N.  Branch  Susquehanna, 
at  Frankstown  and  Hollidaysburg  on  the  upper  Juniata,  at  Orbisonia  in 
southern  Huntingdon,  and  along  the  Lewistown  valley  in  JMifflin  and 
Snyder  counties." 

In  Perry  county  the  outcrops  of  formation  No.  5  are  numerous 
and  arranged  in  zigzags.  The  upper  fossil  ore  and  the  lower  iron  bearing 
sandstone  are  plainly  indicated  by  ridges  upon  the  surface,  and  several 
good  beds  of  ore  occur  in  the  Clinton  sandstone  and  shale.  The  iron 
sandstone,  with  its  block  iron  ore,  is  found  on  the  lower  Juniata  and 
at  other  places  in  middle  Pennsylvania.  At  the  Susquehanna  gap  and 
along  the  crest  of  the  Blue  mountain  it  is  eighty  feet  thick;  twenty-five 
feet  thick  at  ^Miitlintown ;  seven  feet  at  Lewistown.  and  three  feet  at 
Mount  LTnion.  The  report  of  1892  describes  the  base  of  this  sand- 
stone on  the  Juniata  as  a  "hard,  Ijlock  iron  ore,  about  twenty-five  feet 
thick,  of  good  quality,  but  nowhere  worked  except  near  Alillerstown." 

Shade  mountain,  Blue  ridge  and  Black  Log  mountain  are  sur- 
rounded by  Clinton  and  Onondaga  outcrops  containing  fossil  ore  beds, 
which  have  been  worked  to  some  extent  along  the  south  side  of  Shade 
mountain  in  Juniata  county,  and  more  extensively  worked  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Black  Log  from  Newton  Hamilton  southward  to  the 
Augwick  valley.  Orbisonia,  Huntingdon  county,  is  the  center  of  the 
mining  industry  in  this  field. 

Brown  hematite  ore  deposits  follow  the  outcrops  of  the  middle 
Onondaga  in  the  Huntingdon  valley,  which  lies  between  Standing  Stone 
and  Tussey's  mountain.  A  sample  of  this  ore  taken  from  an  outcrop 
near  Marklesburg  showed  nearly  45  per  cent,  iron  and  another  sample 
nearly  60  per  cent.  Ten  analyses  of  samples  taken  from  the  Danville 
ore  beds  in  Penn  and  Walker  townships  of  Huntingdon  county  showed 
from  49  to  55  per  cent.  iron.  The  Greenwood  Furnace  district  in  the 
northeastern  part  of  Huntingdon  county  has  been  for  years  a  mining 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  ii 

center  of  the  Danville  ores.  The  Danville  Ijeds  were  first  worked  in 
1839  and  the  first  furnace  in  that  field  was  built  by  Chambers,  Biddle 
&  Company  in  1843.  The  Saltillo  fossil  ore  bed  appears  at  places  in 
the  shales  of  the  Onondaga  formation  along  Tussey's  mountain  and 
is  mined  at  Saltillo,  near  the  south  end  of  Jack's  mountain. 

In  the  middle  Juniata  valley  in  jMifflin  county  there  are  numerous 
deposits  of  fossil  ore  which  were  formerly  profitably  worked,  when 
iron  was  reduced  from  ores  by  means  of  charcoal  furnaces,  but  in 
recent  years  most  of  these  workings  have  been  discontinued.  In  this 
field,  Joseph  Snyder's  ore  bank,  about  four  miles  southwest  of  Yeager- 
town,  was  opened  in  1845  in  a  vein  of  ore  about  eighteen  inches  thick. 
Some  of  the  ore  was  taken  to  Lewistown,  where  it  was  pronounced 
good,  but  owing  to  lack  of  transportation  facilities  the  deposits  there 
were  never  fully  developed.  Keever's  ore  bank  was  located  in  a  ravine 
in  Ferguson's  valley,  about  two  miles  southwest  of  Yeagertown.  Six 
miles  southwest  of  Yeagertown  was  John  Cupple's  ore  bank.  A  mile 
farther  southwest  was  McKee's  bank,  and  a  mile  west  of  McKee's  was 
John  Sheehan's  ore  bank.  In  the  first  ravine  west  of  Sheehan's  were 
the  McCord  and  Rothrock  banks.  Near  Three  Locks  Wakefield  & 
Cavenaugh  operated  an  iron  mine  from  1S53  to  1873,  and  during  that 
time  about  45,000  tons  of  ore  were  taken  from  the  deposits.  The 
Mineheart  bank,  four  miles  southwest  of  Lewistown,  was  opened  in 
1859  or  i860  by  John  Mineheart,  who  later  transferred  it  to  the 
Glamorgan  Iron  Company.  Several  thousand  tons  of  ore  were  taken 
from  this  bank. 

Dr.  Henderson,  in  his  report  of  the  survey  of  1839-40,  mentions 
a  bed  of  "brown,  cellular  hematite  ore  from  eight  to  ten  feet  thick," 
belonging  to  the  INIarcellus  formation  south  of  Newport  on  the  Juniata 
river.  Professor  Claypole,  in  his  report  on  the  geology  of  Perry  county 
in  1885,  savs  the  Marcellus  ore  had  then  been  mined  in  Limestone 
ridge  south  of  Newport,  near  the  old  Juniata  furnace  and  a  mile  north 
of  New  Bloomfield ;  in  the  iron  ridge  south  and  west  of  the  old  Perry 
furnace ;  in  the  Mahanoy  ridge  at  New  Bloomfield  and  three  miles  west 
of  that  town;  in  Bell's  hill  near  Little  Germany;  in  the  Pisgah  hills 
near  the  Oak  Grove  furnace;  near  the  town  of  Landisburg  and  at  a 
few  other  places  in  the  county.  Ore  of  the  same  character  has  been 
mined  at  Lewistown  and   McVeytown,   in  Miftlin  county,   and   in  the 


12  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    A'ALLEY 

from  four  to  seven  feet  thick  and  lie  immediately  below  the  ^larccllus 
vicinity  of  Orbisonia,  Huntingdon  comity,  where  the  deposits  range 
black  shales.  The  outcrop  of  this  ore  in  the  Huntingdon  valley  runs 
from  Three  Springs  by  way  of  Saltillo  through  the  Hare  valley  and 
north  to  the  Juniata  at  Mapleton. 

Limestone  has  been  formed  from  organic  remains  at  some  period 
in  the  remote  past.  Some  of  it  is  of  coral  growth,  but  most  of  the 
earth's  great  limestone  deposits  are  fossiliferous  and  have  been  pro- 
duced by  sea  animals.  The  fossil  shells,  etc.,  so  frequently  found  in  lime- 
stone bear  witness  to  the  fact  that  where  such  stone  now  exists  was 
once  the  bed  of  a  sea.  The  limestone  of  the  Juniata  valley  belongs 
to  either  the  Trenton  or  lower  Helderberg  formations.  As  early  as 
1870  the  latter  was  cjuarried  near  Lewistown,  and  for  this  reason  some 
authorities  have  conferred  upon  it  the  name  of  "Lewistown  limestone." 
It  lies  under  the  Oriskany  shale,  and  the  deposits  at  Lewistown  are 
about  140  feet  in  tiiickness.  \\'hen  burned,  this  limestone  produces  a 
fine  Cjuality  of  lime  which  has  been  extensively  used  for  fluxing  at 
iron  furnaces.  Some  lavers  or  ledges,  rarelv  over  one  foot  thick,  consist 
of  a  hard  blue  limestone,  excellent  for  building  purposes.  Below  the 
Lewistown  limestone  lies  the  "water-lime,"  which  in  the  Lewistown 
valley  is  from  450  to  470  feet  in  thickness.  Much  of  it  is  hydraulic  in 
character  and  some  of  it  makes  a  fair  grade  of  cement.  In  Perry 
county  it  is  known  as  the  "Bossardville  limestone,"  and  at  Clark's  mill 
in  Center  township  it  has  been  used  in  the  manufacture  of  lime.  The 
IVIarcellus  limestone  has  also  been  burned  in  Perry  county,  especially 
in  ]\Iadison  township,  and  yields  a  good  quality  of  lime.  There  are 
some  pure  limestone  layers  near  Barree,  Huntingdon  county,  but  they 
are  overlaid  bv  175  feet  of  shales.  This  formation  may  be  seen  in 
the  Pennsylvania  railroad  cut  a  short  distance  east  of  Barree  station. 

Sandstones  of  different  ages  and  varying  qualities  are  found  in 
every  county  in  this  field,  though  most  of  them  are  too  soft  for  use 
as  building  stones,  Oriskany  sandstone  is  seen  near  the  tops  of  the 
ridges.  Bridgeport  sandstone  along  Sherman's  creek  in  Perry  county 
has  been  used  as  rough  building  stone  and  similar  deposits  are  known 
to  exist  near  Landisburg  in  the  same  county.  The  Delaware  flagstone 
series  of  the  Catskill  period  furnish  some  good  quarries  near  Liverpool, 
and  the  Hamilton  sandstone  has  also  been  mined  to  some  e.xtent  in 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY  13 

Perry  county.  The  Aledina  sandstone  has  been  used  extensively  by 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  as  ballast. 

Clay  suitable  for  brickmaking  exists  in  nearly  every  valley  in  the 
Juniata  district,  but  the  deposits  have  been  only  partially  developed. 

Two  kinds  of  ocher — red  and  yellow — are  found  at  various  places. 
These  are  iron  ores,  more  or  less  impure  and  capable  of  being  easily 
reduced  to  powder,  the  red  ocher  being  in  composition  the  same  as 
hematite  and  the  yellow  a  limonite.  Overlying  the  Oriskany  sandstone 
in  Perrv  countv  is  a  bed  of  iron  ore  of  this  character  which  has  been 
utilized  for  mineral  paint  and  is  similar  to  the  paint  ore  found  in  Rocky 
ridge  at  the  Lehigh  water  gap. 

Galena  lead  ore  has  been  found  in  small  quantities  in  the  Onondaga 
shales  and  the  Lower  Helderberg  limestone.  The  geological  report  for 
1892  says:  "A  mile  northeast  of  ilcConnellstown  shafts  were  sunk 
and  tunnels  driven  into  the  lowest  hard  limestones  in  Warrior's  ridge, 
but  only  lumps  of  lead  ore  were  found  inclosed  in  veins  of  calcite 
ramifying  through  the  lime  rock,  amounting  in  all  to  not  a  ton  of  lead 
ore.  It  is  quite  safe  to  predict  that  neither  lead  nor  zinc  will  ever 
be  profitably  mined  from  this  horizon  in  this  district,  nor  in  any  other 
district  of  this  formation  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania." 

One  of  the  most  valuable  mineral  deposits  in  the  Juniata  valley 
is  the  glass  sand  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Lewistown,  Vineyard  and 
McVeytown  in  Mifflin  county,  near  Mapleton,  Huntingdon  county,  and 
in  some  other  places.  The  sand  is  the  product  of  some  of  the  rocks 
belonging  to  the  Oriskany  formation  and  is  especially  rich  in  silica, 
oxide  of  iron  and  alumina,  which  elements  render  it  particularly  avail- 
able for  the  manufacture  of  glass.  Large  quantities  of  this  sand  are 
shipped  to  Pittsburgh  and  other  glass-making  centers. 

(Further  information  regarding  the  development  of  the  mineral 
resources  of  the  four  counties  may  be  found  in  Chapter  IX.) 


CHAPTER  II 

ABORIGINAL    INHABITAXTS 

The  lilound-builders — Speculation  Concerning  Them — Relics  in  Juniata  County- 
Description  of  by  Professor  Guss — Indian  Groups  at  the  Close  of  the  Fifteenth 
Centur}' — Their  Distribution  and  Principal  Tribes — The  "Five  Nations" — The 
Susquehannas — Their  Prowess  in  War — Their  Overthrow  by  the  Iroquois — The 
Juniatas — Origin  of  Their  Name — The  Standing  Stone — Its  History  and  Tradi- 
tions— The  Tuscaroras — Driven  to  the  Juniata  Valley — The  "Six  Nations" — 
Indian  Names  of  Natural  Features. 

WHO  were  the  first  inhabitants  of  Xorth  America?  The  question 
is  more  easily  asked  than  answered.  \\'hen  the  white  man 
came  he  found  here  the  Indian,  with  his  past  shrouded  in 
tradition  and  mystery,  and  in  various  parts  of  the  country  there  are 
curious  relics  of  a  more  ancient  race  known  as  'Alound  Builders," 
the  most  noted  specimens  being  found  in  Wisconsin,  Ohio  and  Tennessee. 
Much  speculation  has  been  indulged  in  with  regard  to  the  period  when 
the  IMound  Builders  were  here.  Some  writers  have  maintained  that 
the  race  was  one  of  great  anticjuity.  On  some  of  the  ancient  earth- 
works great  trees  have  been  found  growing — trees  that  were  old  when 
Columbus  discovered  America.  Because  of  this  fact,  together  with 
other  evidences,  the  earliest  investigators  of  the  mounds  advanced  the 
theory  of  great  age.  Alore  recent  investigations,  particularly  those  con- 
ducted under  the  auspices  of  the  L'nited  States  Bureau  of  Ethnology, 
have  led  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Mound  Builders  were  the  immediate 
ancestors  of  the  Indians,  and  that  the  time  when  they  inhabited  the 
country  was  not  so  remote  as  formerly  supposed.  Probably  the  most 
celebrated  mound  so  far  discovered  is  the  Great  Serpent,  in  Adams 
countv,  Ohio.  This  mound,  which  is  in  the  form  of  a  serpent,  was 
once  an  ancient  fortification  and  has  been  deemed  of  such  importance 
to  the  study  of  archaeology  that  the  state  has  purchased  the  site  in  order 
that  the  ruins  may  be  preserved. 

There  is  very  little  evidence  that  the  IMound  Builders  ever  inhabited 
the  Juniata  valley.     Flint  arrow  and  spear  heads,  stone  axes  and  other 

H 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  15 

implements  have  been  found  in  a  few  places,  but  it  is  quite  probable 
they  represent  the  work  of  some  ancient  Indian  tribe.  Professor  A.  L. 
Guss  gives  the  following  account  of  a  mound  and  fort  found  in  Beale 
township,  Juniata  county : 

"At  Bryner's  Bridge,  two  miles  above  Academia,  there  are  the 
remains  of  an  ancient  Indian  mound  of  human  bones,  and  near  by 
there  was  once  an  Indian  fort.  The  mound  is  on  the  creek  bottom, 
about  one  hundred  yards  from  the  north  end  of  the  bridge,  on  the 
upper  side  of  the  road,  and  now  (1886)  consists  only  of  an  unplowed 
spot,  thirty  feet  long  and  twenty  wide,  grown  up  with  wild  plum 
bushes.  Originally  it  was  a  huge  sepulchre.  Octogenarians  living  near 
informed  the  writer  that  they  conversed  with  the  original  settlers  con- 
cerning it,  and  were  told  that  when  they  first  saw  it,  it  was  as  high  as  a 
hunter's  cabin  (fifteen  feet),  and  that  its  base  covered  an  eighth  of  an 
acre.  Other  old  folks  describe  it  as  having  been  twelve  feet  high  and 
one  hundred  feet  in  diameter,  with  an  oval  base.  Ninety  years  ago 
there  stood  upon  it  a  large  elm  tree.  Some  eighty  years  ago  this 
property  was  owned  by  George  Casner,  who,  with  his  sons,  Frederick, 
Jacob  and  John,  hauled  out  the  greater  portion  of  the  mound  and  scat- 
tered it  over  the  fields.  An  old  lady  says  she  saw  the  bottom  all  white 
with  bleaching  bones  after  it  had  rained.  Even  after  this  spoliation 
the  mound  was  six  feet  high;  but  afterwards  it  was  plowed  over  for  a 
number  of  years  until  it  became  nearly  level.  Students  from  the  acad- 
emy frequented  it  for  teeth  and  other  relics.  Quite  a  number  of  stone 
axes  and  flint  arrow-heads,  pipes  and  other  relics  were  exhumed,  all 
of  which  have  been  lost  sight  of  and  carried  away.  It  is  believed  by 
intelligent  old  citizens  that  this  mound  was  the  result  of  some  terrible 
battle  between  two  hostile  tribes,  who  thus  summarily  disposed  of  their 
dead. 

"At  the  lower  end  of  the  bottom,  Doyle's  Alill  Run  enters  the 
creek.  Its  bank  on  the  side  next  the  mound,  for  some  distance,  has  a 
perpendicular  clifl:  about  twenty-five  feet  high.  Between  this  cliff  and 
the  high  bank  bordering  the  bottom,  at  the  edge  of  the  swamp,  there 
is  an  elevated  flat  of  perhaps  twenty  acres,  of  triangular  shape,  extend- 
ing on  the  west  to  a  high  ridge,  the  end  of  which  is  opposite  the  mound. 
This  elevated  point  between  the  run  and  swamp  is  called  the  Old  Fort 
Field.  The  point  of  the  Fort  Field  is  down  the  creek  and  about  three 
hundred  or  four  hundred  yards  below  the  mound.  No  one  knows  how 
long  the  name  Old  Fort  Field  has  been  in  use.  There  are  three  thino-s 
about  this  field  that  deserve  notice,  and,  as  in  the  case  of  the  mound, 
it  is  a  pity  that  they  were  not  described  by  a  competent  scholar  before 
thev  were  obliterated. 


i6  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

"i.  Tliere  was  an  earth-work  thrown  up,  from  the  diff  on  the  run 
to  the  creek  bottom  bank,  enclosing  about  three  acres  of  the  elevated 
point,  which,  by  nature  and  art,  was  thus  rendered  perfectly  inaccessi- 
ble. Persons  yet  living  saw  this  earthen  bank  when  it  was  three  feet 
high.  It  was  semicircular  in  form,  with  the  concave  side  next  the  point 
of  the  elevated  land.  It  was  composed  entirely  of  ground  and  had 
clever  saplings  growing  upon  it.  By  frequent  plowing  and  cultivation  it 
has  now  become  almost  entirely  obliterated. 

"2.  Within  this  enclosure  Air.  Alilliken.  some  years  ago,  plowed  up 
an  old  lire-hearth  or  altar,  composed  of  flat,  smooth  creek  stones,  on 
which  rested  a  quantity  of  charcoal  and  ashes,  articles  which  are  almost 
indestructible.  Such  altars  among  the  Ohio  mound-builders  are  not 
regarded  as  mere  fire-places,  but  probably  connected  with  the  council- 
house  or  sacrificial  devotions. 

"3.  One  of  the  most  interesting  remains  of  this  fort  or  ancient 
fortified  village  is  a  series  of  'steps'  cut  in  the  rock,  near  the  point  of 
the  enclosure,  leading  down  to  Doyle's  Run.  These  steps  were  very 
distinct  to  the  first  settlers,  and  are,  in  fact,  yet  well  defined.  Neighbor- 
ing children  used  to  go  to  'play  at  the  Indian  stone  steps.'  These 
steps  could  not  have  been  formed  by  any  process  of  nature,  such  as 
the  Grumblings  of  alternate  seams  of  the  strata,  for  the  rock  here  is 
tilted  on  its  edge  and  admits  of  no  lateral  cleavage. 

"We  have  here  the  earth-work,  the  hearth  and  the  carved  steps, 
and  their  proximity  to  the  mound  certain!}-  links  their  history  together. 
Was  this  a  military  fort,  and  are  the  bones  the  result  of  a  battle 
fought  there,  or  was  it  simply  a  fortified  village  and  the  bones  the 
natural  accumulation  of  successive  burials?"' 

The  Black  Log  valley,  in  Huntingdon  county,  was  once  a  favorite 
hunting  ground  for  the  Indians.  On  Sandy  ridge,  about  two  miles 
north  of  Orbisonia.  may  still  be  seen  faint  traces  of  an  old  burial 
ground,  while  not  far  distant  is  a  cave  in  which  there  is  a  chamber 
supported  by  pillars,  and  which  once  contained  many  bones,  imple- 
ments, ornaments  of  teeth,  etc.  A  burial  ground  used  by  the  natives 
at  a  more  recent  date  is  located  on  a  knoll  near  the  town  of  Orbisonia. 
Here  flint  arrowheads,  stone  hatchets  or  tomahawks,  pieces  of  flint  and 
other  relics  have  been  found  in  abundance. 

At  the  time  Columbus  made  his  first  voyage  to  the  Xew  World  the 
continent  of  North  America  was  inhabited  by  four  great  groups  or 
families  of  Indians,  each  of  which  was  composed  of  a  number  of 
subordinate  tribes.     In  the  far  north  were  the  Eskimo,  a  sluggish  people 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  17 

who  lived  in  huts  of  ice  or  snow  and  subsisted  largely  upon  fish.  South 
of  the  Eskimo  were  the  Algonquian  group,  or  Algonquins,  occupying 
a  large  triangle  roughly  bounded  by  the  Atlantic  coast,  a  line  drawn 
from  Labrador  to  the  western  end  of  Lake  Superior,  and  a  line  from 
that  point  to  the  coast  near  the  mouth  of  the  Savannah  river.  South 
of  the  Algonquins  and  east  of  the  Mississippi  river  were  the  Muskhogean 
tribes,  the  principal  of  which  were  the  Creeks,  Choctaws,  Chickasaws 
and  Seminoles.  To  the  west  of  the  Mississippi  and  occupying  the  great 
valley  of  the  Missouri  river  lay  the  Siouan  group,  which  included  the 
Sioux,  lowas.  Pawnees,  Blackfeet  and  Sauks  and  Foxes,  the  wildest 
of  all  the  North  American  Indians.  In  the  far  west  were  the  Shoshonean 
and  Athapascan  tribes,  the  best  known  of  which  were  the  Shoshones, 
Snakes  and  Comanches. 

The  members  of  the  central,  southern  and  western  groups  all 
possessed  the  same  physical  characteristics — the  red  or  copper-colored 
skin,  coarse,  straight  black  hair  and  high  cheek  bones.  They  were 
rarely  corpulent,  strong,  athletic  and  enduring,  swift  on  foot  and  skillful 
in  handling  a  canoe.  Keen-eyed  and  observant,  they  could  follow  a 
trail  through  the  forest,  where  a  civilized  man  could  hardly  see  that 
a  leaf  or  a  blade  of  grass  had  been  disturbed.  As  friends  they  were 
true  and  faithful,  but  as  enemies  they  were  cruel  and  treacherous.  A 
few  practiced  the  art  of  agriculture  in  a  primitive  way,  raising  a  limited 
quantity  of  corn,  beans,  etc.,  but  the  majority  lived  by  the  chase.  In 
some  tribes  the  people  built  log  huts,  but  the  wigwam  or  tepee  was 
the  most  common  form  of  dwelling.  This  was  constructed  by  arranging 
poles  in  the  form  of  a  circle,  lashing  them  together  at  the  top  and  then 
covering  this  rude  framework  with  skins.  A  flap  of  one  of  the  skins 
formed  the  door,  and  the  only  method  of  warming  the  interior  was 
to  build  a  fire  upon  the  ground  in  the  middle  of  the  wigwam,  allowing 
the  smoke  to  escape  through  a  hole  at  the  top.  Frequently  a  number 
of  wigwams  would  be  erected  close  together,  the  whole  surrounded 
by  a  stockade,  thus  constituting  a  village.  Their  implements  and 
weapons  were  of  the  most  primitive  character,  usually  of  flint  or 
other  stone,  and  their  clothing  was  generally  composed  of  the  skins 
of  animals  slain  during  the  hunt,  though  some  wove  blankets  of  buffalo 
hair. 

The   Indians   inhabiting  Pennsylvania   and   the   surrounding  states, 


i8  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

as  well  as  all  of  New  England,  belonged  to  the  Algonquian  group. 
Along  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Ontario,  extending  from  east  to  west 
in  the  order  named,  were  the  Mohawks,  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Cayugas 
and  Senecas.  These  five  tribes,  all  of  Iroquoian  stock,  entered  into  a 
confederacy  about  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  and  were 
known  as  the  "Five  Nations."  South  of  them  were  the  Delawares  and 
Susquehannas,  occupying  lands  along  the  rivers  which  still  bear  their 
names.  West  of  the  Five  Nations,  along  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake 
Huron,  were  the  Hurons  and  occupying  the  country  now  comprising 
the  State  of  Ohio  were  the  Wyandots,  Miamis,  Shawnees  and  some 
minor  tribes. 

Just  when  the  confederacy  of  the  Five  Nations  was  formed  is  un- 
certain. The  Jesuit  Relations  (1659)  tell  of  a  tradition  that,  at  a 
time  before  the  first  English  settlements  were  made  in  America,  the 
Susquehannas  almost  exterminated  the  Mohawks  in  a  ten  years'  war. 
Some  historians  assert  that  the  defeated  Mohawks  appealed  to  their 
kindred  tribes  along  the  shore  of  Lake  Ontario  for  assistance,  and 
that  this  led  to  the  establishment  of  the  Five  Nations.  Captain  John 
Smith,  who  explored  the  Chesapeake  bay  in  1608,  says  the  Susquehannas 
and  Mohawks  were  then  at  war  wath  each  other.  The  Susquehannas 
were  evidently  a  powerful  and  war-like  tribe.  Kelker's  History  of 
Dauphin  County  says  that  "in  1633  they  were  at  war  with  the  Algonquin 
tribes  on  the  Delaware,  maintaining  their  supremacy  by  butchery."  A 
few  years  later  they  became  engaged  in  a  war  with  the  tribes  in 
Maryland  and  Virginia  and  in  1642  Governor  Calvert,  of  Maryland, 
issued  a  proclamation  declaring  them  public  enemies.  In  1647  the 
Hurons,  although  of  Iroquoian  stock,  Avere  on  the  verge  of  being 
extinguished  by  the  Five  Nations,  when  the  Susquehannas  sent  to  them 
an  offer  of  assistance  against  the  common  enemy.  At  that  time  the 
Susquehannas  numbered  1,300  warriors  "trained  to  the  use  of  fire-arms 
and  European  modes  of  war  by  three  Swedish  soldiers,  whom  they  had 
obtained  to  instruct  them."  For  some  reason  the  friendly  offer  was 
declined  and  the  Hurons  were  almost  completely  destroyed  as  a  tribe. 

Egle's  Flistory  of  Pennsylvania  says  that  in  1656  "The  Iroquois, 
grown  insolent  by  their  success  in  almost  annihilating  their  kindred 
tribes  north  and  south  of  Lake  Erie,  provoked  a  war  with  the  Sus- 
quehannas,   plundering  their  hunters   on   Lake    Ontario     .     .     .     and 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATx\    VALLEY  19 

though  the  Susquehannas  had  some  of  their  people  killed  near  their 
town,  they  in  turn  pressed  the  Cayugas  so  hard  that  some  of  them 
retreated  across  Lake  Ontario  to  Canada.  They  also  kept  the  Senecas 
in  such  alarm  that  they  no  longer  ventured  to  carry  their  peltries  to 
New  York,  except  in  caravans  escorted  by  six  hundred  men,  who 
even  took  a  most  circuitous  route.  A  law  of  Maryland,  passed  May  i, 
1661,  authorized  the  governor  of  that  province  to  aid  the  Susquehannas." 

In  April,  1663,  the  Five  Nations,  chagrined  by  their  repeated  defeats, 
appealed  to  the  French  for  assistance  and  at  the  same  time  sent  an 
army  of  1,600  men  against  the  Susquehanna  fort,  fifty  miles  from  the 
mouth  of  the  river  bearing  that  name.  Although  the  invaders  out- 
numbered the  Susquehannas  two  to  one,  they  were  repulsed  and  "pursued 
with  great  slaughter." 

According  to  the  Relations,  the  Susquehannas  were  completely  over- 
thrown in  1675,  but  the  account  fails  to  state  who  were  the  victorious 
conquerors  of  the  little  remnant  of  this  once  formidable  tribe.  It  is 
a  well  established  fact  in  history,  however,  that  the  Iroquois  claimed, 
"by  right  of  conquest,"  all  the  lands  on  the  Susquehanna  and  its  branches 
and  sold  them  to  William  Penn  and  his  successors. 

Contemporary  with  the  Susquehannas  and  dwelling  west  of  them 
was  a  tribe  of  Indians  known  to  early  historians  by  various  names. 
Prior  to  the  eighteenth  century  western  Pennsylvania  was  an  unknown 
region  to  the  white  man.  No  trader  or  adventurer  had  yet  extended 
his  journeys  that  far  from  the  coast  and  all  that  can  be  learned  of 
this  early  tribe  is  based  only  on  tradition.  On  Smith's  map  of  1608 
they  are  referred  to  as  the  "Attaocks" ;  eight  years  later  Hendricksen 
made  a  map  on  which  this  tribe  appears  as  the  "lottecas";  the 
Plantagenet  Pamphlet  of  1648  calls  them  the  "Ihon  a  Does";  and  on 
Visscher's  map  of  1655  they  are  given  the  name  of  "Onajutta-Haga." 
All  these  terms  were  finally  crystallized  into  "Juniata,"  by  which  name 
the  river  running  through  the  country  they  once  inhabited  is  still  known. 
The  Juniatas  were  of  Iroquois  stock  and  the  tribal  name  is  derived 
from  that  language.  Professor  A.  L.  Guss,  who  devoted  considerable 
time  to  the  study  of  Indian  legends  and  traditions,  says :  "The  name 
Juniata,  like  Oneida,  is  derived  from  oiicnliia,  onenya  or  oiiia.  a  stone, 
and  kaniotc.  to  be  upright  or  elevated,  being  a  contraction  and  corrup- 
tion of  the  compound."     Due  to  the  fact  that  the  names  Juniata  and 


20  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Oneida  were  derived  from  the  same  source,  some  writers  have  sug- 
gested that  the  latter  tribe  once  inhabited  the  Juniata  valley,  or  at 
least  the  tribe  living  along  the  Juniata  river  in  early  days  was  a  part 
of  the  Oneidas.  There  is  no  evidence  to  show  that  the  Oneidas  ever 
were  a  resident  tribe  in  the  Juniata  valley,  and  it  is  probably  only  a 
coincidence  that  the  two  cognate  tribes  adopted  names  similar  in  sound 
and  meaning. 

It  is  believed  that  the  Juniata  or  Standing  Stone  people  had  their 
great  council  fire  where  the  city  of  Huntingdon  is  now  located.  Here 
they  erected  a  pillar  of  stone — quite  likely  to  commemorate  the  fact,  as 
they  believed,  that  it  was  upon  that  spot  the  Great  Spirit  caused  them 
to  spring  from  mother  earth  like  the  trees  of  the  forest.  The  first 
mention  in  the  white  man's  history  of  the  Standing  Stone  is  in  a  journal 
of  Conrad  Weiser,  Indian  agent  and  interpreter,  recording  the  events 
of  a  journey  from  his  home  in  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  to  the  forks 
of  the  Allegheny  and  Muskingum  rivers.  The  entry  in  this  journal 
for  August  i8,  1748,  says:  "Had  a  great  rain  in  the  afternoon;  came 
within  two  miles  of  Standing  Stone,  twenty-four  miles."  Five  or  six 
years  later  John  Harris,  the  founder  of  Harrisburg,  visited  the  spot 
and  described  the  stone  as  "about  fourteen  feet  high  and  six  inches 
square."  In  1843  Sherman  Day  gathered  all  the  traditions  possible 
concerning  the  stone.  He  says  it  was  "four  inches  thick  by  eight  inches 
wide,"  and  adds:  "The  tribe  regarded  this  stone  with  superstitious 
veneration,  and  a  tradition  is  said  to  have  existed  among  them  that 
if  the  stone  should  be  taken  away  the  tribe  would  be  dispersed,  but 
that  so  long  as  it  should  stand  they  would  prosper."  The  souvenir 
edition  of  "Historic  Huntingdon,"  published  in  1909,  says:  "Arching 
around  a  tall,  slim  pillar  of  stone  covered  with  hieroglyphics,  were  wig- 
wams or  lodges  of  the  browned  sons  of  the  forest.  .  .  .  The  stone 
referred  to,  which  was  supposed  to  bear  in  its  cabalistic  inscriptions 
a  record  of  the  history  and  achievements  of  the  tribe,  was  regarded 
with  great  veneration  by  the  natives,  and  its  conspicuous  position  and 
appearance  led  the  white  visitors  to  designate  the  locality  by  the  name 
'Standing  Stone.'  This  stone  stood  above  Second  street  between  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad  and  the  river,  on  or  near  No.  208  Allegheny 
street,"  etc. 

The  real  history  of  the  original  standing  stone  will  probably  never 


STAXDIXG   STONE. 

FROM    A    PAINTING    BV  JOHN    CHAPLIN. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY  21 

be  known.  Years  before  the  white  man  came  to  the  Juniata  valley,  the 
tribe  who  erected  it  had  been  overthrown  by  the  Five  Nations.  There 
is  no  well  authenticated  account  of  the  conquest,  but  the  journals  of 
the  Jesuit  missionaries  among  the  Hurons  and  Iroquois  tell  of  expedi- 
tions of  great  war  parties  to  the  southward  and  that  they  returned  with 
many  prisoners.  No  doubt  these  prisoners  were  Juniatas  and  that  the 
tribe  was  annihilated  by  the  Iroquois  confederacy.  For  half  a  century 
or  more  the  entire  Juniata  region  then  remained  without  a  resident 
tribe  and  was  used  by  the  conquerors  as  a  hunting  ground.  Then  the 
Tuscaroras  were  permitted  to  settle  there  and  later  the  Shawnees  and, 
Delawares  were  allowed  to  dwell  there  for  a  time.  Heckewelder,  a 
missionary  among  the  latter  Indians,  in  speaking  of  the  Juniata  river, 
says :  "This  word  is  of  the  Six  Nations.  The  Delawares  say 
Yuchiiiada  or  Chuchniada.  The  Iroquois  had  a  path  leading  direct  to 
a  settlement  of  the  Shawnees  residing  somewhere  on  this  river;  I  under- 
stood where  Bedford  is.     Juniata  is  an  Iroquois  word,  unknown  now." 

The  same  authority  refers  to  the  standing  stone  as  follows: 
"Achsinnick  is  the  proper  name  for  this  place.  The  word  alludes  to 
large  rocks  standing  separate  and  where  no  other  is  near.  I  know  four 
places  within  500  miles  which  have  this  name,  two  of  which  are  large 
and  high  rocks  in  rivers.  For  noted  places  where  a  small  rock  is  they 
give  the  name  Achsinnessink,  the  place  of  the  small  rocks." 

The  Juniatas  were  vanquished  and  lost  their  identity  as  a  tribe 
prior  to  1675,  and  the  Delawares  did  not  come  into  the  valley  until 
about  1725.  Professor  Guss  is  of  the  opinion  that  when  they  came 
they  adopted  the  old  name  for  the  stream,  and  upon  arriving  at  the 
site  of  Huntingdon  they  translated  it  to  their  own  language  as 
Achsinnick.  Says  he :  "The  old  totem-post,  it  appears,  remained.  This, 
and  the  traveling  Iroquois  on  their  hunting  and  marauding  expeditions, 
kept  alive  the  story  of  the  extirpated  tribe.  It  was  handed  down  to 
the  white  people,  who  never  saw  or  heard  of  the  old  maps,  or  if  they 
did,  they  could  not  have  recognized  the  root  and  meaning  of  the  term. 
At  this  place  the  traditions  had  been  kept  alive  for  over  one  hundred 
years,  but  somewhat  corrupted  by  explanatory  innovations." 

When  the  Indians  left  the  valley  after  the  purchase  of  1754,  they 
either  destroyed  the  stone  or  carried  it  away  with  them.  After  their 
departure  the  settlers  erected  a  second  stone  upon  the  site  of  the  ori"-inaI 


22  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUMATA    VALLEY 

one.  According  to  Rev.  Philip  Fithian,  who  visited  Huntingdon  in 
1775,  this  stone  was  "a  tall  stone  column  or  pillar  nearly  square  .  .  . 
seven  feet  above  the  ground."  It  bore  the  name  of  John  Lukens, 
surveyor  general,  with  the  date  1768,  and  also  the  names  of  Charles 
Lukens,  assistant  surveyor  general,  Thomas  Smith,  a  brother  of  Rev. 
William  Smith,  and  some  others.  This  stone  was  later  destroyed — one 
account  says  by  some  rowdies  while  on  a  drunken  frolic.  A  part  of 
it  is  still  in  the  possession  of  E.  C.  Summers,  of  Huntingdon.  Subse- 
quently a  third  stone  was  erected.  It  stands  at  the  junction  of  Penn 
and  Third  streets  and  bears  a  tablet  upon  which  is  the  following  in- 
scription :  "Onajutta — Juniata — Achsinnic.  Standing  Stone  erected 
September  8,  1896,  as  a  Memorial  of  the  Ancient  Standing  Stone  re- 
moved by  the  Indians  in  1754." 

Following  the  Juniatas,  the  next  tribe  to  acquire  a  habitat  in  the 
Juniata  valley  were  the  Tuscaroras.  When  the  first  white  people  came 
to  North  Carolina  they  found  the  Tuscarora  Indians  along  the  Tar, 
Neuse  and  Pamlico  rivers.  There  were  also  Tuscarora  settlements  on 
the  headwaters  of  the  Cape  Fear,  Roanoke  and  James  rivers.  Their 
traditions  show  that  they  were  descended  from  the  same  stock  as  the 
Iroquois  and  that  some  time  in  the  far  distant  past  they  lived  in  New 
York  with  some  of  the  tribes  that  constituted  the  Five  Nations.  In 
one  of  their  traditions  they  are  called  the  "Real  People"  and  it  is 
set  forth  that  their  origin  was  in  the  northern  regions.  After  many 
conflicts  with  giants  and  monsters  along  the  St.  Lawrence  river  they 
formed  a  confederacy  and  took  possession  of  the  country  south  of 
the  Great  Lakes.  In  a  war  among  the  northern  tribes  some  years 
later  several  families  of  the  "Real  People"  concealed  themselves  in  a 
cave.  There  Tarenyawagon,  the  Holder  of  the  Heavens,  appeared  to 
them  and  led  them  down  the  Hudson  to  the  sea,  where  the  North 
Carolina  branch  became  detached  and  drifted  southward.  As  in  other 
Indian  tribes,  they  were  divided  into  families  named  after  animals, 
such  as  the  bear,  wolf,  turtle,  beaver,  deer,  eel  and  snipe.  The  men 
were  not  permitted  to  marry  a  woman  of  the  same  clan  or  gens,  and  all 
descent  was  reckoned  in  the  female  line,  in  which  the  military  and  civil 
chieftainships  were  hereditary.  Those  in  North  Carolina  depended  more 
upon  the  products  of  their  fields  than  did  their  northern  brethren,  and 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  23 

raised  large  quantities  of  corn,  beans,  potatoes,  tobacco  and  other 
vegetables. 

Lawson's  "History  of  North  Carolina,"  written  in  1710  and 
published  in  London  a  few  years  later,  says  of  the  Tuscaroras :  "They 
have  many  amiable  qualities.  They  are  really  better  to  us  than  we 
have  ever  been  to  them,  as  they  freely  give  us  of  their  victuals  at  their 
quarters,  while  we  let  them  walk  by  our  doors  hungry,  and  do  not 
often  relieve  them.  We  look  upon  them  with  disdain  and  scorn,  and 
think  them  little  better  than  beasts  in  human  form;  while,  with  all 
our  religion  and  education,  we  possess  more  moral  deformities  than 
these  people  do." 

At  the  time  Lawson  wrote  the  tribe  "had  fifteen  towns  and  twelve 
hundred  warriors,  making  a  population  of  about  six  thousand  persons." 
The  "moral  deformities"  of  the  white  people  who  settled  North  Caro- 
lina were  such  that  they  did  not  recognize  the  right  of  the  natives 
to  the  soil,  but  took  possession  of  the  lands  without  purchase  and  by 
force  if  necessary.  In  these  circumstances  it  is  not  surprising  that 
in  time  the  ire  of  the  Tuscaroras  was  aroused  and  that  they  entered  into 
a  conspiracy  with  the  adjacent  tribes  to  expel  the  trespassers.  September 
22,  171 1,  was  the  day  of  the  general  uprising.  The  whites  were 
slaughtered  without  regard  to  age  or  sex,  and  those  who  sought  shelter 
in  the  forests  were  hunted  all  night  by  the  light  of  torches.  Assistance 
came  from  South  Carolina  and  Virginia,  and  a  relentless  war 
against  the  Tuscaroras  was  inaugurated.  The  Indians  fortified  them- 
selves near  the  present  city  of  Newbern,  but  were  driven  from  their 
position  with  a  loss  of  about  one  hundred  killed  and  the  survivors  were 
forced  to  agree  to  terms  of  peace  dictated  by  the  victors,  who  were  more 
magnanimous  than  might  be  expected. 

Subsequently  some  of  the  Tuscaroras  were  captured  and  sold  into 
slavery,  and  in  the  spring  of  1713  hostilities  were  resumed  by  the 
tribe.  Again  South  Carolina  came  to  the  rescue  of  the  settlers.  On 
March  26,  1713,  the  Indians  were  defeated  in  a  hard  fought  battle 
on  the  Neuse  river.  A  large  number  of  their  warriors  was  killed  and 
about  eight  hundred  captured  and  sold  as  slaves.  An  active  campaign 
of  three  months  followed,  when  the  Tuscaroras  were  driven  from  their 
lands  and  villages  and  sought  "a  refuge  on  the  Juniata,  in  a  secluded 
interior  near  the  Susquehanna,  in  Pennsylvania." 


24  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Sucli,  in  brief,  was  the  manner  in  Avhich  the  Tuscaroras  became  a 
resident  tribe  in  the  Juniata  valley.  Here  they  were  under  the  protection 
of  the  Five  Nations,  as  may  be  seen  from  a  speech  by  one  of  the 
Iroquois  chiefs  at  a  conference  with  Governor  Hunter,  of  New  York, 
September  20,  1714.  "We  acquaint  you,"  said  the  Iroquois  orator,  "that 
the  Tuscarora  Indians  are  come  to  shelter  themselves  among  the  Five 
Nations.  They  were  of  us,  and  went  from  us  long  ago,  and  are  now 
returned  and  promise  to  live  peaceably  among  us." 

Just  when  the  Tuscaroras  left  the  valley  is  uncertain.  That  they 
were  still  living  there  in  1720  is  shown  by  a  correspondence  between 
the  president  of  the  New  York  council  and  Governor  Spottswood,  of 
Virginia.  Late  in  the  year  1719  the  former  wrote  to  the  governors  of 
Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  Virginia  and  Carolina  that  the  Five  Nations 
felt  that  they  had  been  "slighted  by  the  governments  to  the  southward," 
and  suggested  the  advisability  of  the  governors  of  the  colonies  named 
coming  to  Albany  for  the  purpose  of  holding  a  treaty  conference. 
Governor  Spottswood  declined  the  invitation  in  a  letter  filled  with  sar- 
casm, in  which  he  referred  to  the  Five  Nations  as  follows:  "In  the 
years  171 2  and  1713  they  were  actually  in  these  parts  assisting  the 
Tuscarorouroes,  who  had  massacred  in  cold  blood  some  hundreds  of 
the  English  and  were  then  warring  against  us;  and  they  have  at  this 
very  day  the  chief  murderers,  with  the  greatest  part  of  that  natioa 
seated  under  their  protection  near  Susquehanna  river,  whither  they 
removed  them  when  they  found  they  could  no  longer  support  them 
against  the  force  which  the  English  brought  upon  them  in  these  parts." 

A  few  years  later,  about  1722  or  1723,  the  tribe  was  admitted 
into  full  fellowship  with  the  Iroquois  confederacy,  which  from  that 
time  was  known  as  the  "Six  Nations."  It  would  appear,  however,  that 
some  of  the  Tuscaroras  continued  to  reside  in  the  Juniata  valley  for 
several  years  after  the  amalgamation  of  the  tribe  with  those  in  New 
Y'ork.  On  May  27,  1753.  John  O'Neal  wrote  from  Carlisle  to  the 
governor  of  Pennsylvania  that  "a  large  number  of  Delawares,  Shawnees 
and  Tuscaroras  continue  in  this  vicinity,  the  greater  number  having 
gone  to  the  west." 

After  the  purchase  of  1754  the  Indians  gradually  departed  from 
the  valley  of  the  Juniata,  leaving  the  white  man  in  undisputed  possession. 
But  the  names  they  gave  to  some  of  the  natural  features  of  the  country 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  25 

are  still  in  use.  Such  words  as  Juniata,  Kishacoquillas,  Mahantango, 
Tuscarora,  and  a  host  of  other  names  as  applied  to  the  mountains,  vales 
and  streams  of  central  Pennsylvania,  stand  as  mute  reminders  of  a 
departed  race. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE    ERA    OF    SETTLEMENT 

Early  Spanish  Explorations — Captain  John  Smith — First  White  Men  in  Pennsylvania 
— Overlapping  Grants — Swedish  and  Dutch  Purchases — First  Settlement  in  Penn- 
sylvania— William  Penn — The  Proprietary  Government — The  Great  Treaty — 
Early  Traders  West  of  the  Susquehanna — First  Mention  of  the  Juniata  Valley — 
Treaty  of  1736 — Shickalamy — Kishacoquillas — Indian  Towns — Ohesson — Assun- 
nepachla — Treaty  of  1749 — The  Squatters — Burning  Their  Cabins — Licensed 
Traders — George  Croghan — Murder  of  Armstrong,  Smith  and  Arnold — Captain 
Jack — James  Patterson — Andrew  Montour — Peter  Shaver — French  Intrigue — 
Treaty  of  1754 — Indian  Discontent  over  Boundary — A  New  Treaty — The  Land 
Office  Opened — First  Authorized  Settlements  in  the  Valley. 

FOR  more  than  a  century  after  the  first  voyage  of  Columbus  few 
attempts  were  made  to  found  permanent  settlements  in  the  New 
\\'orld.  During  that  time  expeditions  sent  out  by  the  different 
European  nations  explored  the  entire  coast-line  of  the  United  States 
and  some  of  them  penetrated  far  into  the  interior.  At  an  early  date 
some  Spaniards  visited  the  Chesapeake  bay,  where  they  learned  from 
the  Indians  of  a  great  river  which  flowed  into  the  northern  part  of 
the  bay.  The  Indians  told  them  that  by  going  up  this  river  a  distance 
of  eighty  leagues,  then  following  a  smaller  stream  westward  and  cross- 
ing the  mountains,  they  would  come  to  a  great  river  flowing  southward. 
Although  the  account  of  the  expedition  is  imperfect  in  many  particulars 
and  the  description  of  the  streams  is  somewhat  vague,  there  is  little 
doubt  that  the  rivers  referred  to  are  the  Susquehanna  and  Juniata, 
while  the  great  river  beyond  the  mountains  is  the  Ohio.  This  informa- 
tion, meager  and  unsatisfactory  as  it  is,  was  probably  the  first  gained 
by  white  men  of  the  interior  of  Pennsylvania. 

In  1608  Captain  John  Smith,  of  the  Jamestown  colony  in  Virginia, 
explored  the  Chesapeake  bay  and  visited  the  mouth  of  the  Susquehanna, 
which  the  Indians  told  him  issued  "from  some  mighty  mountains 
betwixt  two  seas."     Six  years  after  Smith's  expedition  three  Dutch 

26 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  27 

traders  from  the  post  at  Albany  crossed  over  to  the  headwaters  of  the 
Susquehanna  and  descended  that  stream  for  some  distance.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  these  three  Dutchmen  were  the  first  of  the  Caucasian  race 
to  set  foot  upon  Pennsylvania  soil. 

Owing  to  a  lack  of  accurate  maps  and  a  definite  knowledge  of  the 
country,  the  land  grants  made  by  the  English  government  frequently 
overlapped  each  other.  The  territory  now  forming  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania  was  included  in  the  Virginia  grant  of  1606  and  by  the 
New  England  charter  of  1620.  The  southern  portion  was  covered 
by  the  Maryland  grant  of  1632  and  the  northern  part  by  the  Connecticut 
grant  of  1662.  The  Dutch  also  claimed  the  territory  by  virtue  of  Henry 
Hudson's  discovery  of  the  Delaware  bay  and  river  in  1609.  Samuel 
Smith,  in  his  "History  of  the  Colony  of  Nova  Caesaria,  or  New 
Jersey,"  says:  "In  1627  the  Swedes  made  their  appearance  in  this 
region,  and  soon  thereafter  purchased  of  some  Indians  (but  whether 
of  such  as  had  the  proper  right  to  convey  is  not  said)  the  land  from 
Cape  Inlopen  to  the  Falls  of  Delaware,  on  both  sides  of  the  river, 
which  they  called  New  Swedeland  stream  and  made  presents  to  the 
Indian  chiefs  to  obtain  peaceable  possession  of  the  land  so  purchased." 

There  is  some  doubt  as  to  the  accuracy  of  the  above  date.  George 
Smith,  in  his  "History  of  Delaware  County,  Pennsylvania,"  says  that 
the  Swedes  made  no  settlements  on  the  Delaware  until  after  163 1.  In 
1638  Peter  Minuet,  who  had  gone  over  from  the  Dutch  to  the  Swedes, 
established  a  fort  and  trading  post  called  Christina,  near  the  mouth  of 
Minquas  creek,  and  at  the  same  time  purchased  of  the  Indians  all 
the  west  side  of  the  Delaware  river  as  far  up  as  Trenton.  Thus  the 
Swedes  got  all  the  land  from  Cape  Henlopen  to  the  falls  "and  as  much 
inward  from  the  river  as  they  may  want."  This  transaction  is  believed 
by  some  writers  to  be  the  one  referred  to  by  Samuel  Smith,  though 
it  did  not  take  place  until  eleven  years  after  the  date  mentioned  in 
his  work. 

The  first  settlement  in  Pennsylvania  was  made  by  the  Swedes  near 
Philadelphia  in  1643.  On  September  25,  1646,  the  Dutch  purchased 
a  tract  of  land  including  part  of  the  site  of  Philadelphia  and  over- 
lapping, to  some  extent,  the  Swedish  purchase  of  1638.  This  brought 
about  a  conflict  of  claims  and  in  1655  the  Swedish  authority  was  over- 
thrown by  Peter  Stuyvesant.     Nine  years  later  the  Duke  of  York  con- 


28  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

quered  New  Netherland  and  after  tliat  the  settlements  on  the  Delaware 
were  under  English  control. 

Sir  William  Penn.  father  of  the  founder  of  Pennsylvania,  was  a 
distinguished  admiral  in  the  British  navy  in  Oliver  Cromwell's  day  and 
at  his  death  left  claims  against  the  English  government  amounting  to 
f  16,000  for  money  advanced  and  arrearages  of  salary.  These  claims 
descended  to  his  son  William,  who,  while  a  student  at  Oxford,  became 
a  Quaker  and  for  some  time  paid  little  or  no  attention  to  their  adjust- 
ment. At  last,  in  1680,  being  desirous  of  securing  a  location  where 
the  Quakers  could  worship  unmolested  according  to  their  peculiar  belief, 
he  asked  King  Charles  II.  to  grant  him  "letters  patent  for  a  tract  of 
land  in  America,  lying  north  of  Maryland,  on  the  east  bounded  by 
the  Delaware  river,  on  the  west  limited  as  Maryland,  and  northward  to 
extend  as  far  as  plantable."  After  several  conferences  concerning 
boundary  lines,  etc.,  a  charter  was  granted  on  March  4,  1681,  and 
confirmed  by  royal  proclamation  the  following  month.  The  extent 
of  the  province  was  three  degrees  of  latitude  from  north  to  south, 
between  "the  beginning  of  the  fortieth  degree  of  northern  latitude  and 
the  beginning  of  the  three  and  fortieth  degree  of  northern  latitude," 
and  extending  westward  five  degrees  of  longitude  from  the  Delaware 
river,  except  "all  within  a  circle  drawn  twelve  miles  distant  from  New 
Castle,  northward  and  westward,  to  the  beginning  of  the  fortieth  degree 
of  northern  latitude."  On  April  8,  1681,  Penn  addressed  to  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  region  included  in  his  grant  the  following  proclamation : 

"My  Friends:  I  wish  you  all  happiness  here  and  hereafter.  These 
are  to  let  you  know  that  it  hath  pleased  God,  in  his  providence,  to 
cast  you  within  my  lot  and  care.  It  is  a  business  that,  though  I  never 
vmdertook  before,  yet  God  hath  given  me  an  understanding  of  my 
duty,  and  an  honest  mind  to  do  it  uprightly.  I  hope  you  will  not  be 
troubled  at  your  change,  and  the  King's  choice,  for  you  are  now  fixed, 
at  the  mercy  of  no  governor  that  comes  to  make  his  fortune  great. 
You  shall  be  governed  by  laws  of  your  own  making,  and  live  a  free, 
and,  if  you  will,  a  sober  and  industrious  people.  I  shall  not  usurp 
the  right  of  any,  or  oppress  his  person.  God  has  furnished  me  with  a 
better  resolution,  and  has  given  me  his  grace  to  keep  it.  In  short, 
whatever  sober  and  free  men  can  reasonably  desire  for  security  and  im- 
provement of  their  happiness,  I  shall  heartily  comply  with,  and  in  five 
months  resolve,  if  it  please  God,  to  see  you.     In  the  meantime,  pray  sub- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNL\TA    VALLEY  29 

mit  to  the  commands  of  my  deputy,  so  far  as  they  are  consistent  with  the 
law,  and  pay  him  those  dues  that  formerly  you  paid  to  the  order  of  the 
Governor  of  New  York,  for  my  use  and  benefit;  and  so  I  beseech  God 
to  direct  vou  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  and  therein  prosper  you  and 
your  children  after  you." 

The  deputy  referred  to  by  Penn  was  his  cousin,  William  Markham, 
who  came  over  in  1681.  On  July  15,  1682,  he  made  a  treaty  with 
the  Indians  for  lands  along  the  Delaware  river.  Penn  arrived  in  the 
province  on  October  27,  1682,  and  before  the  end  of  that  year  held 
the  "Great  Treaty"  at  Shakamaxon.  That  treaty  marked  the  beginning 
of  a  course  in  dealing  with  the  Indians  of  which  Cyrus  Thomas,  in  the 
Eighteenth  Annual  Report  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Ethnology, 
says:  "The  task  of  writing  up  in  general  terms  the  policy  of  Pennsyl- 
vania during  its  colonial  history  is  a  pleasant  one,  first,  because  it  seldom 
varied,  so  far  as  it  related  to  its  lands,  from  that  consistent  with  honor 
and  justice;  and,  second,  because  it  was  so  uniform  that  a  comparatively' 
brief  statement  will  suffice  to  present  all  that  is  necessary  to  be  said." 

Penn  returned  to  England  in  1684,  but  before  his  departure  he  took 
steps  for  the  purchase  of  lands  on  the  Susquehanna  river  from  the 
Five  Nations  of  Indians,  who  had  conquered  the  native  tribes.  The 
Five  Nations  lived  in  New  York  and  Penn  engaged  Thomas  Dongan, 
then  governor  of  that  province,  to  negotiate  the  purchase  of  "all  that 
tract  of  land  lying  on  both  sides  of  the  river  Susquehanna  and  the  lakes 
adjacent,  in  or  near  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania."  Governor  Dongan 
made  the  purchase  and  conveyed  the  lands  to  Penn  on  January  13, 
1696,  for  one  hundred  pounds  sterling.  Some  of  the  Indians  refused 
to  confirm  the  transaction,  and  upon  Penn's  return  to  the  colony  he 
concluded  articles  of  agreement  with  the  Susquehanna  and  other  tribes 
on  April  23,  1701,  in  which  they  acknowledged  the  validity  of  the 
Dongan  deed.  The  lands  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  were  still  claimed 
by  the  Five  Nations,  however,  until  1736.  In  the  summer  of  that  year 
a  great  council  was  held  by  the  tribes  in  New  York  and  the  sachems  and 
head  men  were  authorized  to  go  to  Philadelphia  and  adjust  all  claims 
and  demands.  Accordingly,  on  October  11,  1736,  twenty-three  chiefs 
of  the  Mohawk,  Oneida,  Onondaga.  Seneca.  Cayuga,  Tuscarora,  Dela- 
ware and  Shawnee  tribes  made  a  deed  to  John,  Thomas  and  Richard 
Penn,  conveving  to  them  "all  the  said  river  Susquehanna  with  the  lands 


30  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

lying  on  both  sides  thereof,  to  extend  eastward  as  far  as  the  heads 
of  the  branches  or  springs  -which  run  into  the  said  Susquehanna,  and 
all  lands  lying  on  the  west  side  of  the  said  river  to  the  setting  of  the 
sun,  and  to  extend  from  the  mouth  of  said  river,  northward,  up  the 
same  to  the  hills  or  mountains,  called  in  the  language  of  said  nations, 
Tayamentasachta,  and  by  the  Delaware  Indians  the  Kekachtannin  hills." 

Prior  to  that  time  a  few  adventurous  characters  had  penetrated  into 
the  region  west  of  the  Susquehanna  and  established  trading  posts.  As 
early  as  1704  James  Le  Tort,  Joseph  Jessup,  Peter  Bazalian,  Martin 
Chartier  and  Nicholas,  all  Frenchmen,  or  in  the  employ  of  the  French, 
were  trading  with  the  Indians  along  the  Susquehanna  and  passing  via 
of  the  Juniata  valley  and  Kittaning  Point  to  the  Great  Indian  rendezvous 
at  the  head  of  the  Ohio  river.  In  January,  1705,  John  Harris  received 
a  license  from  the  commissioners  of  property  to  "seat  himself  on  the 
Susquehanna,  and  to  erect  such  buildings  as  are  necessary  for  his  trade." 
In  1733  he  received  a  patent  for  three  hundred  acres  of  land  where 
the  city  of  Harrisburg  now  stands.  James  Le  Tort  located  at  Carlisle 
in  1720  and  traded  with  the  Indians  as  far  west  as  the  Allegheny  river. 
Two  years  later  "William  \\^ilkins  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  up 
the  Susquehanna  trading  for  his  master,  John  Cartlidge.  Edmund 
Cartlidge,  Henry  Baly  and  Jonah  Davenport  also  traded  between  the 
Susquehanna  and  Allegheny  rivers  as  early  as  1727.  John  Petty  and 
Henry  Smith  were  trading  with  the  Indians  in  the  vicinity  of  Shamokin 
in  1728,  and  probably  for  some  time  before  that  date. 

The  first  historical  mention  of  the  Juniata  valley  is  found  in  the 
records  of  a  council  held  in  Philadelphia  on  July  3,  1727,  with  the 
chiefs  of  the  Five  Nations,  who  requested  "That  there  may  be  no  settle- 
ments made  up  the  Sasquehannah  higher  than  Pextan  (John  Harris' 
settlement  where  Harrisburg  now  is),  and  that  none  of  the  settlers 
thereabouts  be  suffered  to  sell  or  keep  any  rum  there,  for  that  being  the 
road  by  which  their  people  go  out  to  war,  they  are  apprehensive  of 
mischief  if  they  meet  with  liquor  in  these  parts.  They  desire  also, 
for  the  same  reasons,  that  none  of  the  traders  be  allowed  to  carry 
any  rum  into  the  remoter  parts  where  James  Le  Tort  trades — that  is, 
Allegany  on  the  branch  of  the  Ohio.  And  this  they  desire  may  be 
taken  notice  of,  as  the  mind  of  the  chiefs  of  all  the  Five  Nations,  for 
it  is  all  those  nations  that  now  speak  by  them  to  all  our  people." 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  31 

To  this  request,  which  was  rendered  in  English  by  Madame  Montour 
as  interpreter,  Governor  Patrick  Gordon  replied  as  follows : 

"We  have  not  hitherto  allowed  any  settlement  to  be  made  above 
Pextan,  but,  as  the  young  people  grow  up,  they  will  spread  of  course, 
yet  it  will  not  be  very  speedily.  The  Governor,  however,  will  give  or- 
ders to  them  all  to  be  civil  to  those  of  the  Five  Nations  as  they  pass 
that  way,  though  it  would  be  better  if  they  would  pass  Sasquehannah 
above  the  mountains.  And  the  sale  of  rum  shall  be  prohibited  both 
there  and  at  Alegany ;  but  the  woods  are  so  thick  and  dark  we  can  not 
see  what  is  done  in  them.  The  Indians  may  stave  any  rum  they  find 
in  the  woods,  but,  as  has  been  said,  they  must  not  drink  or  carry  any 
away." 

From  the  beginning  it  was  Penn's  policy  to  prevent  the  white 
people  from  encroaching  upon  the  Indian  domain.  To  this  end  it  was 
ordered  on  October  14,  1700,  "That  if  any  person  presumes  to  buy 
any  land  of  the  natives  within  the  limits  of  this  province  and  territories 
without  leave  from  the  proprietary  thereof  every  such  purchase  shall 
be  void  and  of  no  effect."  Penn's  death  occurred  in  England  on  July 
30,  1718,  and  in  time  the  above  order  was  found  to  be  insufficient  to 
restrain  ambitious  persons  from  buying,  or  attempting  to  buy,  lands 
from  the  Indians.  Not  infrequently  they  went  on  the  land  and  took 
possession  without  even  the  formality  of  a  purchase.  To  stop  this 
practice  the  assembly,  on  October  14,  1729,  passed  an  act  much  more 
stringent  in  its  provisions.  Up  to  that  time  the  boundaries  of  the 
various  tracts  of  land  purchased  from  the  natives  had  not  always  been 
clearly  set  forth,  and  in  the  deed  of  October  11,  1736,  seven  years  later, 
the  western  boundary  was  fixed  as  "the  setting  of  the  sun" — a  state- 
ment which  probably  meant  only  that  the  line  was  undecided  and  in- 
definite. In  the  treaty  of  August  22,  1749,  by  which  the  Indians  ceded 
to  the  proprietaries  of  Pennsylvania  a  large  tract  lying  between  the 
Delaware  and  Susquehanna  rivers,  the  boundaries  of  the  purchase  were 
more  clearly  defined.  These  facts  are  mentioned  in  this  connection 
for  the  reason  that  the  intruders  called  "squatters"  often  set  up  as  a 
defense  the  claim  that  they  did  not  know  they  were  beyond  the  limits 
of  the  lands  sold  to  the  provincial  authorities. 

During  the  early  negotiations  for  the  lands  along  and  west  of  the 
Susquehanna  there  were  two  Indians  whose  influence  was  powerful  in 


32  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

preserving  friendly  relations  between  the  white  men  and  the  Indian 
inhabitants.  One  of  these  was  Shickalamy  and  the  other  was 
Kishacoquillas  (both  names  are  spelled  in  a  variety  of  ways).  Shick- 
alamy has  been  described  as  "the  viceroy  of  the  Six  Nations,  maintain- 
ing a  balance  of  power  between  the  different  tribes  and  between  the 
Indians  and  whites,  acting  as  agent  of  the  Iroquois  confederacy  in  all 
affairs  of  state  and  war."  When  the  white  men  first  came  in  contact 
with  him  he  was  living  on  the  west  side  of  the  Susquehanna  a  few 
miles  south  of  Lewisburg,  at  a  place  known  for  a  long  time  as 
"Shickalamy's  Old  Town."  Later  he  removed  to  Sunbury,  where  he 
continued  to  reside  until  his  death  in  April,  1749.  He  never  drank 
enough  "fire-water"  to  become  intoxicated — if  he  drank  at  all — and 
was  received  into  the  Moravian  church.  He  had  his  two  sons  baptized, 
calling  one  John  Petty,  after  the  trader  of  that  name,  and  the  other 
James  Logan,  after  the  provincial  secretary.  Shickalamy  was  a  de- 
scendant of  the  ancient  tribe  known  as  the  Minequas.  Susquehannocks 
or  Conestogas,  but  was  regarded  as  a  chief  of  the  Oneidas.  His  son, 
Logan,  was  a  Cayuga  chief,  owing  to  the  Indian  custom  that  all  positions 
of  rank  or  power  descended  through  the  female  line.  Logan  became 
renowned  in  history  as  "the  Mingo  chief"  and  a  spring  of  fine  water 
in  Mifflin  county  still  bears  his  name.  L'pon  the  death  of  Shickalamy 
he  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  John  Taghnaghdoarus,  who  was  one  of 
the  signers  of  the  deed  of  July  6,  1754. 

Kishacoquillas  was  a  Shawnee  chief  and  is  first  mentioned  in  the 
fall  of  1 73 1  by  James  Le  Tort  and  Jonah  Davenport,  in  connection  with 
the  operations  of  one  Cavalier,  an  agent  of  the  French,  who  was  operat- 
ing among  the  Indians  in  the  Juniata  valley.  Their  report  contains 
the  names  and  brief  descriptions  of  two  Indian  towns  upon  the  Juniata 
river,  to  wit : 

"Ohesson  upon  Choniata,  distant  from  Sasquehanna  60  miles ; 
Shawanese,  20  families,  60  men,  chief,  Kissikahquelas. 

"Assunnepachla  upon  Choniata,  distant  about  100  miles  by  water 
and  50  by  land  from  Ohesson;  Delawares,  12  families,  36  men." 

Those  who  have  investigated  the  subject  most  carefully  agree  that 
Ohesson  was  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kishacoquillas  creek  on  the  site  now 
occupied  by  the  borough  of  Lewistown,  and   that  Assunnepachla  was 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  33 

where  Frankstown,  Blair  county,  is  now  located.  There  is  no  authentic 
account  of  any  other  Indian  towns  or  settlements  along  the  Juniata. 

Professor  A.  L.  Guss  says  of  Kishacoquillas :  "He  appears  to  have 
been  one  of  the  more  decent  and  peaceable  of  the  turbulent  and 
treacherous  Shawnees."  He  remained  loyal  to  the  proprietary  govern- 
ment when  most  of  his  own  tribe  and  the  Delawares  went  over  to 
the  French  in  a  body  and  no  inducements  could  cause  him  to  lift  the 
hatchet  against  the  friends  or  supporters  of  Father  Onas,  as  the  Indians 
called  William  Penn.  He  died  in  August,  1754,  at  the  Half  Falls  on 
the  Susquehanna,  and  the  following  May  Colonel  John  Armstrong  gave 
the  name  of  Kishacociuillas  to  the  valley  in  which  the  old  chief  lived 
until  a  short  time  before  his  death. 

By  the  treaty  of  1749  the  boundary  between  the  white  man's  posses- 
sions and  the  Indian  lands  was  fixed  at  the  Keckacktany  or  Blue  moun- 
tains, also  called  the  Endless  hills,  north  and  west  of  which  the  lands 
belonged  to  the  Indians.  In  the  spring  of  that  year,  some  months 
before  the  treaty  was  made,  a  number  of  adventurous  white  men 
crossed  over  the  Endless  hills  with  the  intention  of  establishing  homes 
upon  the  Indian  hunting  grounds.  William  White,  George  and  William 
Galloway,  David  HUiddleston.  George  Gaboon  and  a  few  others  were 
located  on  the  Juniata,  in  what  is  now  Juniata  county;  Simon  Girty 
( father  of  the  noted  renegade ) ,  James  and  Thomas  Parker,  James 
Murray,  Richard  Kirkpatrick,  John  Cowan  and  several  others  settled 
about  the  same  time  on  Sherman's  creek  in  Perry  county ;  Robert 
Hagg,  Samuel  Bigham,  James  and  John  Grey  settled  in  the  Tuscarora 
valley,  and  along  the  west  side  of  the  Susquehanna  between  Penn's 
creek  and  the  mouth  of  the  Juniata  there  were  several  small  settlements 
of  squatters.  A  few  had  found  their  way  to  the  vicinity  of  Aughwick, 
Huntingdon  county.     Lytle  says : 

"In  the  spring  of  1749,  as  early  as  the  month  of  April,  more  than 
thirty  families  had  settled  west  of  the  Kittatinny,  and  more  were  coming 
daily,  some  of  them  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Juniata,  along  the  path 
that  led  to  Ohio.  In  February,  1750,  according  to  the  statement  of 
Governor  Hamilton,  they  had  reached  the  foot  of  the  Allegheny  moun- 
tains." 

Both  the  Six  Nations  and  the  Delawares  protested  against  this 
encroachment    upon   their   lands   and   demanded   the   expulsion   of   the 


34  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

squatters.  They  also  suggested  that  a  few  trustworthy  persons  be 
stationed  west  of  the  mountains,  with  authority  from  the  governor  to 
remove  any  trespasser  who  might  attetnpt  to  locate  upon  the  forbidden 
ground.  In  order  to  prevent  an  open  rupture  between  the  Indians 
and  the  provincial  authorities,  the  latter  deemed  it  necessary  to  take 
some  decisive  action.  A  proclamation  from  the  government,  carried  to 
the  intruders  by  Conrad  Weiser,  had  been  disregarded,  and  in  May, 
1750,  Richard  Peters,  the  provincial  secretary,  accompanied  by  the 
undersheriff  and  justices  of  the  newly  established  county  of  Cumberland, 
went  to  enforce  the  commands  of  the  proclamation.  Along  the  Juniata, 
in  the  Sherman's  creek  and  Tuscarora  valleys,  at  Aughwick  and  in  other 
places  the  squatters  were  driven  out  and  their  cabins  burned.  At 
Aughwick  Peter  Falconer,  Samuel  Perry,  John  Charleton  and  Nicholas 
De  Long  were  placed  under  bonds  to  appear  at  the  next  county  court 
at  Shippensburg  and  to  remove  with  their  families  from  the  Indian 
domain.  Charleton's  cabin  was  burned.  Near  the  line  between  Hunt- 
ingdon and  Fulton  counties  the  destruction  wrought  by  the  expedition 
was  so  great  that  the  place  still  bears  the  name  of  "Burnt  Cabins." 
In  his  report,  Peters  gives  as  a  reason  for  the  burning  of  the  dwellings 
that,  if  they  were  not  destroyed,  they  would  tempt  the  trespassers 
to  return  again,  or  encourage  others  to  come  and  occupy  them.  In 
his  report  he  also  makes  mention  of  Frederick  Star  and  two  or  three 
other  Germans  having  been  driven  from  the  Juniata  in  1743. 

In  the  meantime  several  traders  had  been  licensed  to  carry  on  a 
traffic  with  the  Indians  west  of  the  Endless  hills.  George  Croghan, 
an  Irishman  by  birth  and  a  conspicuous  character  on  the  frontier  in  early 
days,  was  given  his  trader's  license  in  1744.  Four  years  later  he 
purchased  land  and  became  a  resident  of  Cumberland  county.  In 
1750  he  was  one  of  the  magistrates  of  that  county  and  accompanied 
Secretary  Peters  in  his  visits  to  the  squatters.  Soon  after  that  he 
removed  to  Aughwick  (now  Shirleysburg),  where  he  continued  to  reside 
for  several  years.  He  appears  to  have  been  always  on  friendly  terms 
with  the  Indians,  for  at  a  conference  held  at  Carlisle  in  1753  the  Indians 
requested  that  any  presents  intended  for  them  should  be  sent  to  "George 
Croghan's  house  at  Juniata." 

John  Hart  also  received  a  trader's  license  in  1744  and  established 
a  "feeding  and  lodging  place"  where  the  borough  of  Alexandria,  Hunt- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  35 

ingdon  county,  is  now  located.  He  did  not  effect  a  permanent  settle- 
ment, however,  but  his  place  gave  name  to  the  Hartslog  valley.  The 
Indians  did  not  resent  the  presence  of  such  men  as  Croghan  and  Hart, 
for  the  traders  never  cleared  oft'  the  timber  and  drove  away  the  game 
as  did  the  squatters. 

Another  active  trader  of  this  period  was  John  (commonly  called 
Jack)  Armstrong.  Most  of  his  trade  was  with  the  Indians  living  along 
the  Susquehanna  above  Peter's  mountain,  but  it  appears  that  he  also 
traded  with  the  Delawares  in  the  Juniata  valley.  Some  time  in  the 
3-ear  1744  Armstrong  and  two  of  his  assistants,  James  Smith  and 
\\'oodworth  Arnold,  were  foully  murdered  at  the  place  known  as  Jack's 
narrows,  in  Huntingdon  county.  According  to  the  story  of  the  old 
chief,  Shickalamy,  the  deed  was  committed  by  a  Delaware  Indian 
named  ]\Iusemeelin,  who  owed  Armstrong  some  skins,  for  which  the 
trader  seized  a  horse  and  a  rifle  belonging  to  Musemeelin  to  hold  as 
security  for  the  payment  of  the  debt.  This  so  incensed  the  Indian  that, 
accompanied  by  two  young  men  under  the  pretense  of  going  on  a  bear 
hunt,  he  followed  Armstrong  and  his  two  companions  to  the  narrows, 
where  he  killed  all  three,  the  two  young  Indians  taking  no  part  in  the 
murder. 

There  is  a  somewhat  fanciful  story  of  an  eccentric  character  called 
Captain  Jack,  who,  about  the  time  of  Armstrong's  murder,  or  shortly 
afterward,  took  up  his  residence  in  the  Aughwick  valley.  He  has  been 
described  as  "a  man  of  almost  herculean  proportions,  with  extremely 
swarthy  complexion."  By  some  he  was  supposed  to  be  a  half-breed 
Indian  and  by  others  a  quadroon.  L'pon  returning  home  from  one  of 
his  hunting  excursions  he  found  his  wife  and  two  children  murdered 
and  his  cabin  reduced  to  ashes.  From  that  time  he  avoided  the  habita- 
tions of  civilized  man,  lived  in  caves  or  hollow  logs,  and  devoted  his 
life  to  avenging  his  wrongs  by  killing  every  Indian  he  could  find.  His 
peculiar  mode  of  living  and  his  daring  deeds  inspired  the  savages  with 
terror  and  gained  for  him  such  names  as  the  "Black  Hunter,"  "Black 
Rifle,"  "Wild  Hunter  of  the  Juniata,"  etc.  Not  only  did  he  become  a 
terror  to  the  Indians,  but  he  also  won  the  confidence  of  the  settlers, 
who  offered  him  the  command  of  a  company  organized  for  their  mutual 
protection.  He  accepted  the  command,  but  as  the  company  was 
organized  without  the  sanction  of  the  provincial  government,  it  took 


36  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXL\TA    VALLEY 

the  name  of  "Captain  Jack's  Hunters."  Skilled  marksmen,  used  to  the 
frontier,  clad  in  rough  but  serviceable  hunting  shirts,  leathern  lepeines 
and  moccasins,  they  scoured  the  hills  and  vales,  and  no  doubt  sent 
many  an  Indian  to  his  "happy  hunting  grounds."  What  became  of 
Captain  Jack  is  uncertain.  Says  Lytle :  "His  exploits,  if  they  could 
be  correctly  described,  would  perhaps  be  a  proper  subject  for  historv, 
but  so  much  has  been  written  concerning  them  that  is  purely  fictitious 
that  it  is  impossible  to  separate  the  false  from  the  true." 

^lany  persons  believe  that  Jack's  mountain  and  Jack's  narrows 
derive  their  names  from  this  peculiar  individual,  but  John  Harris,  the 
founder  of  Harrisburg,  who  was  contemporary  with  Captain  Jack, 
speaks  of  the  narrows  as  "Jack  Armstrong's  narrows,  so  called  from 
his  being  there  murdered." 

The  driving  out  of  the  squatters  and  the  burning  of  their  cabins 
in  the  spring  of  1750  was,  in  the  main,  ineffectual,  either  in  checking 
the  immigration  to  the  Indian  lands  or  in  bringing  satisfaction  and 
contentment  to  the  savages.  In  fact,  some  of  the  first  settlers  had 
not  been  molested  by  Secretary  Peters  and  his  party,  and  this  encouraged 
others  to  cross  the  mountains  and  establish  themselves  in  the  Indian 
country.  James  Patterson  settled  near  the  present  town  of  Mexico, 
Juniata  county,  in  1751,  only  a  year  after  the  trespassers  had  been 
driven  out,  and  cleared  land  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  Egle  says: 
"Patterson  held  his  lands  in  defiance  of  the  provincial  government  and 
the  cowardly  redskins  until  1755,  when  the  Indians  ceased  to  visit  his 
settlement  to  barter  furs  and  venison  for  rum  and  tobacco,  and  instead 
began  to  prowl  around  painted  for  war,  and  armed  with  rifles,  tomahawks 
and  knives." 

It  is  related  of  Patterson  that  he  adopted  a  novel  method  of  inspiring 
the  Indians  with  fear.  In  front  of  his  house  he  kept  a  target  leaning 
against  a  tree.  Whenever  he  saw  a  party  of  Indians  approaching  he 
would  step  to  the  door  and  fire  a  few  shots  at  the  target,  the  center 
of  which  was  fairly  riddled  with  bullets.  The  Indians  would  examine 
the  target  and  estimate  the  distance — probably  150  yards — then  shrug 
their  shoulders  with  an  "L'gh!"  which  indicated  their  intention  to  keep 
beyond  the  range  of  his  deadly  rifle.  Patterson's  marksmanship  obtained 
for  him  among  the  Delawares  the  name  of  "Big  Shot." 

In  a  few  instances  persons  were  allowed  to  settle  upon  the  forbidden 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY  37 

lands  with  the  consent,  if  not  with  the  actual  connivance,  of  the 
provincial  authorities.  One  case  of  this  nature  was  that  of  Andrew 
Montour,  a  half-breed  and  brother  of  Catharine  Montour,  the  well 
known  Indian  interpreter.  After  repeated  applications  for  permission 
to  live  somewhere  beyond  the  Blue  hills,  Montour  received  from 
Governor  Hamilton  a  commission,  dated  April  18,  1752,  authorizing 
him  to  "settle  and  reside  upon  the  Indians'  land,  in  any  place  he  should 
consider  most  convenient  and  central,  and  to  prevent  the  lands  from 
being  settled  upon  by  others,  and  to  warn  off  all  who  presume  to  locate 
there ;  also  to  report  to  the  government  the  names  of  such  as  did  locate, 
that  they  might  be  prosecuted." 

IMontour  located  in  what  is  now  Perry  county,  on  a  tract  of  land 
between  Landisburg  and  Loysville,  and  near  the  little  stream  that  still 
bears  the  name  of  ^Montour's  run.  In  the  same  year  that  he  received 
his  commission  several  white  men  came  into  the  Kishacoquillas  valley, 
in  what  is  now  Mifflin  county,  looking  for  locations,  and  most  of  them 
became  permanent  settlers.  Among  them  were  the  five  McNitt  brothers, 
William  Brown,  Samuel  IMaclay  and  James  Reed,  whose  wife  was  the 
first  white  woman  in  that  locality. 

In  1753  William  Patterson,  John  and  Joseph  Scott,  James  Kennedy, 
Alexander  Roddy,  Thomas  Wilson  and  a  few  others  were  located  in 
the  Sherman  valley,  not  far  from  Montour's  place,  but  there  is  no 
evidence  to  show  that  Montour  performed  the  duties  rec^uired  by  his 
commission,  either  by  warning  these  men  that  they  were  trespassers 
or  lodging  information  with  the  government  that  would  insure  their 
prosecution  On  the  other  hand,  he  brought  his  brother-in-law.  William 
Dason,  into  the  valley  and  gave  him  a  farm,  as  shown  by  an  affidavit  of 
William  Patterson  some  years  later. 

Peter  Shaver  (or  Cheaver)  had  been  engaged  in  trade  with  the 
Indians  for  some  years  and  settled  near  the  mouth  of  Shaver's  creek, 
in  Huntingdon  county,  at  a  date  not  definitely  known,  but  supposed 
to  have  been  in  the  spring  of  1754.  Some  years  later  his  headless  body 
was  found  near  his  residence,  but  the  cause  of  his  death  has  always 
remained  a  mystery.  Other  settlers  came  upon  the  Indian  lands  in  the 
early  part  of  1754.  regardless  of  the  rights  of  the  Indians  or  the  attitude 
of  the  provincial  government.  Most  of  them  were  of  that  sturdy 
Scotch-Irish  stock  which  is  noted  for  determination.     L'nafraid  of  the 


38  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

dangers  of  the  wilderness  or  the  hostihty  of  the  savage  natives,  but 
attracted  by  the  fertile  valleys  along  the  Juniata,  they  resolved  to  found 
homes  there  at  all  hazards.     Professor  Guss  says : 

"These  continued  aggressions  of  the  white  people,  and  their  ap- 
parent determination  to  disregard  the  rights  of  the  Indians  at  what- 
ever hazard,  greatly  incensed  the  latter,  who.  at  a  treaty  council,  held 
at  Carlisle  in  1753,  very  plainly  expressed  their  views  on  the  subject, 
entering  their  vigorous  protest  against  this  unjustifiable  occupation  of 
their  hunting  grounds,  and  notifying  the  authorities  that  'they  wished 
the  people  called  back  from  the  Juniata  lands  until  matters  were  settled 
between  them  and  the  French,  lest  damage  should  be  done,  and  then 
the  English  would  think  ill  of  them.'  " 

The  latter  part  of  the  above  quotation  refers  to  the  machinations 
of  the  French  agents  among  the  Delawares,  Shawnees  and  other  tribes 
that  claimed  the  Juniata  valley  as  a  hunting  ground.  For  years  these 
Indians  had  been  in  friendly  intercourse  with  the  French  along  the  Ohio 
river,  and  were  gradually  yielding  to  their  overtures  of  an  alliance. 
They  accepted  the  presents  from  the  English,  given  to  them  for  the 
purpose  of  drawing  them  away  from  the  French,  but  finally  went  over 
to  the  latter  in  a  body.  Five  years  after  the  cabins  of  the  squatters 
had  been  burned  at  the  solicitation  of  these  "children  of  the  forest," 
they  went  over  the  same  ground  with  torch,  scalping-knife  and  toma- 
hawk, mingling  the  blood  of  their  victims  with  the  ashes  of  the  frontier 
dwellings,  and  all  this  notwithstanding  they  had  relinquished  their  title 
to  the  lands.  It  was  simply  another  case  of  the  untutored  native  being 
swayed  by  the  stronger  will  of  designing  white  men.  In  the  struggles 
between  the  nations  of  Europe  the  Indian  was  frequently  made  the 
cat's-paw  to  draw  the  chestnuts  of  a  rich  trade  in  furs  or  the  possession 
of  valuable  territory  from  the  fire  for  the  benefit  of  ungrateful  masters. 
Had  the  Indians  of  the  Juniata  valley  been  left  to  themselves,  it  is  quite 
probable  that  some  understanding  could  have  been  reached  by  which 
amicable  relations  could  have  been  continued,  but  under  the  influence 
of  the  French  a  crisis  was  reached  in  1754  that  made  it  advisable  on 
the  part  of  the  English  to  purchase  the  lands  lying  west  of  the  Endless 
hills. 

Accordingly,  a  council  assembled  at  Albany,   New  York,  early  in 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  39 

July,  1754,  and  on  the  6th  of  that  month  a  treaty  was  conckided  by  the 
execution  of  the  following  deed : 

"Henry  Peters,  Abraham  Peters,  Blandt,  Johannes  Satfyhowano, 
Johannes  Kanadakayon,  Abraham  Sastagrhedohy,  sachems  or  chiefs  of 
the  Mohawk  nation :  Aneeghnaxqua,  Taraghorus,  Tohaghdaghquyserry, 
alias  Kachneghdackon,  sachems  or  chiefs  of  the  Oneydo  nation;  Otsin- 
ughyada,  alias  Blunt,  in  behalf  of  himself  and  all  the  sachems  and 
chiefs  of  the  Onondago  nation;  Scanuraty,  Tannaghdorus,  Tokaaiyon, 
Kaghradodon,  sachems  or  chiefs  of  the  Cayuga  nation;  Kahichdonon, 
alias  Groote  Younge,  Takeghsata,  Tiyonenkokaraw.  sachems  or  chiefs 
of  the  Seneca  nation;  Suntrughwackon,  Sagochsidodagon,  Tohashu- 
wangarus  Orontakayon,  alias  John  Nixon,  Tistoaghton,  sachems  or 
chiefs  of  the  Tuscarora  nation,  in  consideration  of  four  hundred  pounds 
(£400)  lawful  money  of  New  York,  grant  and  convey  to  Thomas  and 
Richard  Penn  all  the  lands  lying  within  the  province  of  Pennsylvania, 
bounded  and  limited  as  follows,  namely :  Beginning  at  the  Kittochtinny 
or  Blue  Hills,  on  the  west  branch  of  the  Susquehanna  river,  and  thence 
by  the  said  river  a  mile  above  the  mouth  of  a  certain  creek  called 
Kayarondinhagh :  thence  northwest  and  by  west  as  far  as  the  province 
of  Pennsylvania  extends  to  its  western  lines  or  boundaries ;  thence 
along  the  said  western  line  to  the  south  line  or  boundary  of  said 
province ;  thence  along  the  said  south  line  or  boundary  to  the  south  side 
of  the  Kittochtinny  hills,  thence  by  the  south  side  of  said  hills  to  the 
place  of  beginning."' 

Had  the  boundaries  as  described  in  the  deed  been  established  the  pur- 
chase would  have  included  all  the  western  part  of  the  state.  The  creek 
called  Kayarondinhagh  is  Penn's  creek,  which  flows  into  the  Susque 
hanna  at  Selinsgrove,  Snyder  county.  Starting  from  the  river  a  mile 
above  the  mouth  of  that  creek,  a  line  running  "northwest  and  by  north," 
as  the  deed  calls  for,  would  strike  Lake  Erie  a  few  miles  east  of  the 
city  of  Erie,  and  all  south  of  that  line  and  west  of  the  Blue  hills  would 
have  been  the  extent  of  the  territory  purchased.  The  expressions  of 
dissatisfaction  among  the  Indians  over  the  boundary  led  to  a  conference 
at  Aughwick,  in  September,  1754,  at  which  time  the  representatives  of 
the  different  tribes  declared  that  it  was  not  their  intention  to  sell  the 
W'est  branch  of  the  Susquehanna,  and  that  they  would  never  agree  to 
any  boundary  that  extended  to  Lake  Erie.  To  adjust  the  cpiestion  of 
boundaries  another  treaty  was  concluded  at  Easton,  Pennsylvania,  on 
October  22nd,  when  the  line  starting  a  mile  above  Penn's  creek  was 


40  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

made  to  run  "northwest  and  by  west  to  a  creek  called  Buffalo  creek ; 
thence  west  to  the  east  side  of  the  Allegheny  or  Appalachian  hills ;  thence 
along  the  east  side  of  the  said  hills,  binding  therewith  to  the  south  line 
or  boundary  of  the  said  province ;  thence  by  the  said  south  line  or  boun- 
dary to  the  south  side  of  the  Kittachtinny  hills ;  thence  by  the  south 
side  of  the  said  hills  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

The  purchase,  as  defined  by  the  restricted  boundaries,  included  all 
of  the  counties  of  Perry,  Juniata,  Mifflin,  Huntingdon,  Bedford,  Blair 
and  Fulton:  nearly  all  of  Snyder:  about  one-half  of  Center,  and  portions 
of  Union,  Franklin  and  Somerset.  The  boundaries  were  confirmed  by 
the  Indians  on  October  23,  1758,  after  which  time  there  was  no  dispute 
regarding  the  ownership  and  possession  of  the  Juniata  valley. 

During  the  latter  part  of  1754  and  the  early  part  of  1755  a  number 
of  settlers  came  into  the  Juniata  valley.  The  land  offlce  was  opened  for 
the  entry  of  lands  in  the  new  purchase  on  February  3,  1755,  and  the 
same  day  Barnabas  Barnes  was  granted  a  tract  of  land  in  what  is  now 
Tell  township,  Huntingdon  county.  About  two  weeks  later  he  received 
a  warrant  for  a  tract  in  what  is  now  Wayne  township,  Mifflin  county. 
On  February  4  James  Patterson  received  his  warrant  for  400  acres  at 
IMexico,  where  he  had  been  living  since  1751.  On  }ilay  26,  1755,  James 
McDowell  applied  for  300  acres  "at  a  place  called  the  Burnt  Cabins  at 
Aucquick."  ^^'illiam  ilaxwell  also  applied  about  the  same  time  for  300 
acres,  "including  Falkner's  (Falconer's)  and  William  and  Thomas 
Thompson's  improvements  at  Auccjuick."  No  warrants  were  issued  on 
these  applications,  but  the  intention  of  the  applicants  to  become  residents 
is  clearly  shown.  On  June  25,  1755,  Anthony  Thompson  received  title 
to  a  tract  on  the  little  Aughwick,  and  some  time  during  the  year  Hugh 
Crawford,  so  he  afterward  claimed,  made  some  improvements  where 
the  borough  of  Huntingdon  now  stands. 

Concerning  the  first  white  men  to  locate  in  [Nlilflin  county,  Egle's 
"History  of  Pennsylvania"  sa}-s ;  "The  first  settlers  came  from  the 
Conococheague,  by  way  of  Aughwick.  They  were  Arthur  Buchanan,  a 
brave  backwoodsman,  his  two  sons,  and  three  other  families,  all  of 
whom  were  Scotch-Irish.  They  encamped  on  the  west  side  of  Kishico- 
quillas  creek,  near  its  mouth,  opposite  the  Indian  town  on  the  present 
site  of  East  Lewistown,  when  Buchanan,  who  was  the  leader,  proceeded 
to  negotiate   for  land.     At  first  he  found  the  Indians  unwilling,  but. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  41 

meeting  with  the  chief,  whom  he  christened  Jacobs,  from  his  resemblance 
to  a  burly  Dutchman  in  Cumberland  county,  he  succeeded  in  obtaining 
the  land,  now  the  principal  part  of  Lewistown,  west  of  the  creek,  ex- 
tending up  the  river.  This  was  in  1754.  To  this  favored  spot,  this  year 
and  the  forepart  of  the  next,  1755,  he  induced  so  many  persons  to  come 
to  his  settlement  that  the  Indians  who  adhered  to  Jacobs  became  dissatis- 
fied, destroyed  their  town,  and  left.  The  council-house  of  the  Indians 
was  on  the  east  side  of  the  creek,  opposite  Buchanan's  cabin,  and  a  line 
of  wigwams  belonging  to  a  number  of  different  tribes  stretched  to  the 
north  along  the  stream." 

Among  those  who  recei\-ed  land  warrants  in  Mifflin  county  in  1755 
were :  Everhart  Alartin,  James  Alexander,  Edward  Bates,  George  Sig- 
ler,  Alexander  Hamilton,  Andrew  Bratton,  Samuel  Holliday,  Alexander 
Torrentine,  Robert  Brotherton,  \\'illiam  Brown,  James  Reed  and  Roljert 
Taylor,  most  of  whom  located  along  the  Juniata  or  in  the  Kishacoquillas 
valley. 

Some  of  those  who  had  been  driven  out  of  Juniata  county  in  1750 
returned  soon  after  the  purchase  of  1754,  accijmpanied  l:)y  a  number  of 
others  who  entered  lands  and  established  homes.  Among  these  pioneers 
were :  Alexander  ^ilaginty,  John  ]\IcClellan,  Robert  Campbell,  ^^'illiam 
Buchanan,  William  Patterson,  ^^'illiam  Beale,  James  Kennedy,  Alex- 
ander Dennison,  James  McMahan,  George  and  John  Armstrong,  Wil- 
liam \A'hite,  James  Purdy,  \\'illiam  Huston,  John  Lycon,  James  Michel- 
tree.  \\'illiam  Stewart  and  Francis  West,  all  of  whom  entered  lands  in 
the  year  1755,  and  some  of  their  descendants  still  reside  in  the  county. 

John  Pfoutz,  whose  land  Egle  says  was  the  first  located  by  order 
from  the  land  office,  settled  in  what  is  still  known  as  Pfoutz's  valley,  in 
Perry  county.  James  Baskins,  Marcus  Hulings  and  a  few  others  located 
about  the  mouth  of  the  Juniata,  some  of  them  before  the  land  was  pur- 
chased from  the  Indians.  Other  settlers  in  Perry  county  were  the  Rob- 
isons,  Robert  and  James  Wilson,  Andrew  Simeson,  Robert  Pollock, 
Hugh  Miller,  W^illiam  Darlington,  Samuel  Hunter,  James  Mitchell, 
William  Croncleton,  Ross  Mitchell,  James  Dixson,  Alexander  Roddy, 
who  was  one  of  the  squatters  driven  out  in  1750,  James  Cowen  and 
James  Blaine. 

A  more  complete  account  of  these  early  settlers  will  be  found  in  chap- 
ters on  county  and  township  history.     During  the  French  and  Indian 


42  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA   VALLEY 

war  many  of  them  abandoned  their  frontier  homes  and  fled  to  the  more 
thickly  settled  portions  of  the  province,  returning  after  the  close  of 
hostilities,  from  which  period  the  history  of  the  actual  permanent  set- 
tlement of  the  valley  has  its  beginning. 


CHAPTER  IV 

HUNTINGDON    COUNTY,    ORGANISATION,   ETC. 

First  Counties  in  Pennsylvania — Huntingdon  the  Eighteenth — Organic  Act — Boun- 
daries Defined — Location  of  County  Seat — Trustees — First  County  Officers — Court 
Houses — Jails — Dispute  over  Boundary  Lines — Opposition  to  the  Federal  Con- 
stitution— Open  Rebellion  in  Huntingdon  County — Conrad  Weiser — John  Harris' 
Journey — Early  Settlements — Reduction  in  Size — Present  Area — Slavery — Dele- 
gates to  Constitutional  Conventions — Benjamin  Elliott — Andrew  Henderson^ 
David  R.  Porter— John  Scott— John  IMcCulloch— John  M.  Bailey— R.  iNIilton 
Speer — The  Civil  List. 

THE  organization  of  counties  in  Pennsylvania  began  in  1682,  when 
William  Penn  divided  the  province  into  the  counties  of  Chester, 
Philadelphia,  and  Bucks.  No  boundaries  were  designated  farther 
than  the  lines  separating  the  counties  where  they  joined  each  other,  their 
limits  in  all  other  directions  extending  to  the  borders  of  the  province. 
The  lines  of  separation  were  confirmed  by  the  provincial  council  on  April 
2,  1685.  Of  the  three  original  counties  Chester  was  much  the  largest 
and  from  its  territory  a  number  of  new  counties  have  been  erected. 
Lancaster  was  cut  off  by  the  act  of  May  10,  1729,  and  was  the  fourth 
county  to  be  organized  in  the  state.  Twenty  years  later  York  county 
was  erected  and  by  the  act  of  January  2^,  1750,  "the  lands  lying  to  the 
westward  of  Suscjuehanna,  and  northward  and  westward  of  the  county 
of  York,"  were  erected  into  a  county  called  Cumberland.  Bedford 
county  was  taken  from  Cumberland  on  March  9,  1771,  and  was  the  last 
county  erected  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war.  Huntingdon  county, 
the  eighteenth  to  be  formed  in  the  state,  was  originally  a  part  of  Ches- 
ter county.  It  was  erected  from  part  of  Bedford  by  the  act  of  Septem- 
ber 20,  1787,  the  preamble  of  the  act  and  the  section  relating  to  the 
boundaries  being  as  follows  : 

"Whereas,  it  hath  been  represented  to  the  General  Assembly  of  this 
State,  by  the  inhabitants  of  that  part  of  Bedford  county  which  lies  on 

43 


44  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

the  waters  of  the  Frankstown  branch  of  the  Juniata,  tlie  lower  part  of 
the  Raystown  branch  of  the  same,  the  Standing  Stone  vahey,  part  of 
Woodcock  valley,  the  waters  of  Aughwick  creek,  and  other  north- 
easterly parts  of  the  said  county  of  Bedford,  that  they  labor  under  great 
hardships  from  their  great  distance  from  the  present  seat  of  justice,  and 
the  public  offices  for  the  said  county  now  in  the  town  of  Bedford:  For 
remedy  whereof, 

"Be  it  enacted,  etc..  That  all  and  singular  the  lands  lying  within 
the  bounds  and  limits  hereinafter  described  and  following,  shall  be, 
and  are  hereby,  erected  into  a  separate  county  by  the  name  of  Hunting- 
don county;  namely,  beginning  in  the  line  of  Bedford  and  Franklin 
counties,  where  the  new  state  road  (by  some  called  Skinner's  road), 
leading  from  Shijipensburg  to  Littleton,  crosses  the  Tuscarora  moun- 
tain; thence  in  a  straight  course  or  line  to  the  Gap  in  Shade  mountain, 
where  the  road  formerly  called  Potts'  road  crosses  the  same,  about  two 
miles  north  of  Littleton;  thence  by  a  straight  line  to  the  Old  Gap,  in 
Sideling  Hill,  where  Sideling  Hill  creek  crosses  the  mountain;  thence 
in  a  straight  line  by  the  northerly  side  of  Sebastian  Shoub's  mill,  on 
the  Raystown  branch  of  Juniata;  thence  on  a  straight  line  to  the  Elk 
Gap,  in  Tussey's  mountain ;  computed  to  be  about  nineteen  miles  above 
or  southwesterly  of  the  town  of  Huntingdon  (formerly  called  Standing 
Stone),  and  from  the  said  Elk  Gap.  in  a  straight  line,  to  the  Gap  at 
Jacob  Stevens'  mill,  a  little  below  where  W'oolery's  mill  formerly  stood, 
in  Morrison's  cove;  thence  in  a  straight  line  by  the  southerly  side  of 
Blair's  mill,  at  the  foot  of  the  Allegheny  mountain;  thence  across  the 
said  mountain,  in  a  straight  line,  to  and  along  the  ridges  dividing  the 
waters  of  the  Conemaugh  from  the  waters  of  Clearfield  and  Chest 
creeks,  to  the  line  of  \\'estmoreland  county ;  thence  by  the  same  to  the 
old  purchase  line,  which  was  run  from  Kittanning  to  the  West  Branch 
of  Susquehanna  river;  and  along  said  line  to  the  said  West  Branch, 
and  down  the  same  to  the  mouth  of  Moshannon  creek,  and  along  the 
remaining  lines  or  boundaries  which  now  divide  the  county  of  Bedford 
from  the  counties  of  Northumberland,  Cumberland  and  Franklin,  to  the 
place  of  beginning." 

The  act  contained  the  usual  provisions  concerning  the  holding  of 
courts,  fixing  the  time  for  the  sessions  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  the  months 
of  December,  March,  June,  and  September,  and  the  place  of  meeting  at 
the  house  of  Ludwig  Sell,  in  the  town  of  Huntingdon,  until  a  court- 
house should  be  erected.  With  regard  to  the  location  of  the  county 
seat  and  the  erection  of  public  buildings  the  act  contained  the  following 
preamble  and  section : 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  45 

"And  zvhcrcas.  the  petitioners  for  erecting  the  said  county,  have 
unanimously  represented  to  this  house,  that  the  town  of  Huntingdon, 
on  the  river  Juniata,  is  a  proper  and  central  place  for  the  seat  of  jus- 
tice in  the  said  county;  and  the  proprietor  of  said  town,  at  the  desire 
and  with  the  approbation  of  the  inhabitants  and  owners  of  lots  and 
buildings  in  the  same,  hath  laid  off  and  set  apart  a  proper  and  suf- 
ficient quantity  of  grounds,  for  the  site  of  a  court  house,  county  gaol 
and  prison,  and  hath  engaged  to  give,  assure  and  convey  the  same  to 
the  commonwealth,  in  trust  and  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the  said 
county;  provided  the  said  town  of  Huntingdon  shall  be  fixed  upon  by 
law  as  a  proper  place  for  the  seat  of  justice  in  the  said  county:  There- 
fore, 

"Be  it  further  enacted,  etc..  That  Benjamin  Elliott,  Thomas  Duncan 
Smith,  Ludwig  Sfih-  George  Ashman  and  William  McAlevy,  be,  and 
they  are  hereby  appointed  trustees  for  the  said  county  of  Huntingdon, 
and  they,  or  any  three  of  them,  shall  take  assurance  of  and  for  the 
lands  and  grounds  proposed  to  be  appropriated  as  aforesaid,  in  the 
said  town  of  Huntingdon,  for  the  site  of  a  court  house  and  county  gaol 
or  prison,  and  shall  take  care  that  the  quantity  of  ground  so  to  be 
appropriated  be  sufficient  and  convenient  for  the  public  purposes  afore- 
said, and  as  little  detrimental  as  possible  to  the  proprietors  and  owners 
of  contiguous  lots  and  buildings;  which  assurance  and  conveyance  of 
the  grotmds,  as  aforesaid,  the  said  trustees,  or  any  three  of  them,  shall 
take"  in  the  name  of  the  commonwealth,  in  trust  and  for  the  use  and 
benefit  of  the  said  county  of  Huntingdon,  and  thereupon  erect  a  court 
house  and  prison,  sufficient  to  accommodate  the  public  service  of  said 
county." 

Soon  after  the  passage  of  the  act  creating  the  county,  officers  were 
appointed  for  the  transaction  of  the  public  business.  Lazarus  B. 
McClain  received  his  commission  on  September  25,  1787,  as  clerk  of  the 
court  of  quarter  sessions,  orphans'  court,  prothonotary,  etc.,  and  was  the 
first  official  to  be  appointed.  Four  days  later  Andrew  Henderson  was 
commissioned  recorder  of  deeds,  register  of  wills,  and  justice  of  the 
county  court,  and  on  December  13th  he  was  commissioned  prothonotary. 
On  October  22d  Benjamin  Elliott  was  commissioned  sherifif.  Robert 
Galbraith  was  appointed  president  of  the  county  court  of  common  pleas, 
orphans'  court,  court  of  general  quarter  sessions  and  jail  delivery  on 
November  23,  1787,  and  on  the  same  day  Thomas  Duncan  Smith,  John 
Williams,  Thomas  McCune  and  William  Phillips  were  commissioned 
justices  of  the  county.     Samuel  Thompson  was  appointed  coroner  on 


46  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

November  30,  1787,  and  on  December  5th  David  I\Ic]Murtrie  was  ap- 
pointed treasurer. 

As  provided  in  the  organic  act,  the  courts  were  held  in  the  house  of 
Ludwig  Sell  until  the  erection  of  a  court-house.  Sell's  house  was  a 
double  two-story  log  structure  on  Allegheny  street,  between  Second  and' 
Third  streets,  and  was  kept  as  a  tavern  by  Mr.  Sell,  being  the  first  public 
house  of  entertainment  in  Huntingdon.  It  was  not  long,  however,  until 
the  trustees  took  the  necessary  steps  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  the 
act  in  the  matter  of  erecting  a  court-house  and  jail.  The  first  court-house 
stood  between  Penn  and  Allegheny  streets,  fronting  on  Third  street. 
It  was  a  brick  edifice  of  three  stories,  one  of  which  was  a  basement,  in 
which  were  the  offices  of  the  prothonotary,  register,  recorder  and  clerk 
of  the  courts.  Upon  its  completion  the  justices  were  escorted  to  the 
court-house  with  fife  and  drum,  and  for  some  time  this  method  was  in 
use  to  announce  the  sessions  of  the  court.  In  1798  a  bell  was  placed  on 
the  court-house,  after  which  the  use  of  the  fife  and  drum  was  discon- 
tinued. The  bell  weighed  254  pounds  and  bore  the  inscription  "Cast  by 
Samuel  Parker,  Philadelphia,  1798.  William  Smith,  D.D.,  to  the  Bor- 
ough of  Huntingdon,  Juniata."  When  the  old  court-house  was  torn 
down  in  the  spring  of  1848  the  bell  was  placed  upon  the  public  school 
building,  where  it  continued  in  use  until  December  12,  1861,  when  it  was 
broken  while  ringing  for  school. 

The  second  court-house  was  erected  upon  the  north  side  of  Penn 
street,  between  Second  and  Third  streets,  and  was  completed  in  1842. 
The  lots  upon  which  it  stood — Nos.  31  to  34,  inclusive — were  formerly 
the  property  of  Stephen  Drury  and  John  Cadwallader,  Drury  owning 
lot  No.  31  and  Cadwallader  the  others.  In  August,  1793,  these  gentle- 
men mortgaged  their  lots  to  the  county  for  $100  each,  and  on  June  25, 
1839,  Governor  Porter  approved  a  resolution  of  the  legislature  transfer- 
ring the  "lien,  right,  title  and  claim  of  the  commonwealth  of  Pennsyl- 
vania of,  in  and  to  the  lots  under  the  mortgages  to  the  county  of  Hunt- 
ingdon, for  the  use  and  purpose  of  building  by  said  county  of  a  court- 
house and  other  necessary  buildings  for  the  said  county,  therewith  and 
thereon,  and  for  such  other  uses  as  the  commissioners  of  said  county 
shall  hereafter  determine."  Shortly  after  the  adoption  of  this  resolu- 
tion the  lots  became  the  property  of  the  county  by  legal  process  and  the 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  47 

erection  of  the  court-house  was  begun.  It  was  used  from  1842  until  the 
present  court-house  was  built. 

About  1876  it  became  apparent  that  the  court-house  was  inadequate 
to  the  needs  of  the  county,  and  the  question  of  making  additions  and 
repairs  came  up  for  consideration.  Successive  grand  juries  recom- 
mended the  erection  of  a  new  building,  and  on  April  21,  1882,  the  com- 
missioners passed  the  following  resolution :  "In  order  to  carry  out  the 
instructions  of  the  grand  juries  in  the  matter  of  repairing  and  remodel- 
ing the  court-house,  it  was  unanimously  resolved  to  issue  bonds  to  an 
amount  not  exceeding  seventy-five  thousand  dollars,  interest  payable  at 
four  per  cent,  per  annum,  date  of  issue  June  i,  1882.  The  above  reso- 
lution to  be  presented  to  the  court  for  approval." 

The  court  approved  the  action  of  the  commissioners,  and  on  April 
28,  1882,  the  plans  submitted  by  M.  E.  Beebe,  an  architect  of  Buffalo, 
New  York,  were  accepted  by  the  board,  which  was  then  composed  of 
Henry  Davis,  Nicholas  Isenberg  and  Samuel  P.  Smith.  Bids  were  then 
advertised  for,  and  on  May  17,  1882,  the  contract  was  awarded  to 
Henry  Snare  &  Company  for  $71,300.  On  December  5,  1883,  the 
building  was  accepted  as  complete  upon  the  report  of  a  special  commis- 
sion consisting  of  John  Covert,  John  A.  Blair,  Henry  Neft',  J.  F.  N. 
Householder,  G.  W.  Reynolds  and  Theo.  H.  Cremer.  Some  changes 
were  made  in  the  original  designs,  which  brought  the  total  cost  of  the 
building  up  to  about  $73,000.  It  occupies  the  site  of  the  court-house 
erected  in  1842. 

Concerning  the  first  jail  in  the  county,  Lytle  says :  "A  building  that 
had  been  erected  before  the  formation  of  the  county  was  first  used  for 
that  purpose.  Its  location  is  now  unknown.  In  a  letter  written  at  that 
time,  it  is  mentioned  as  a  'block-house.'  It  may  have  been  the  remains 
of  the  old  fort  built  during  the  Revolutionary  War." 

On  August  25,  1791,  Dr.  William  Smith,  founder  of  the  town  of 
Huntingdon,  conveyed  to  the  trustees  lot  No.  41  as  a  site  for  a  county 
prison.  A  log  jail  was  erected  there  in  that  year  and  several  sessions 
of  the  court  were  held  in  the  building  before  the  completion  of  the  court- 
house. Some  years  later  the  jail  was  destroyed  by  fire,  its  single  pris- 
oner at  the  time  being  burned  with  the  building.  The  lot  upon  which 
it  stood  was  on  the  east  side  of  Second  (then  St.  Clair)  street,  directly 


48  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNL\TA    VALLEY 

opposite  the  end  of  Penn  (then  Hill)  street.  \Mien  the  turnpike  was 
completed  to  Huntingdon  it  passed  over  the  lot  where  the  old  jail  stood, 
and  which  is  now  the  continuation  of  Penn  street  toward  Standing 
Stone  creek. 

Not  long  after  the  destruction  of  the  first  jail  by  fire,  a  second  one 
was  erected.  It  was  a  small  stone  structure  on  Third  street  north  of 
Mifflin,  "standing  back  against  the  hill,  with  a  yard  in  front  of  it,  run- 
ning down  towards  the  street."  It  served  as  a  county  prison  until  1S29, 
when  the  present  jail  was  erected  south  of  it,  on  the  line  of  ^Mifflin 
street,  the  jail  yard  extending  back  to  Church  street.  About  the  time 
the  present  court-house  was  completed  the  jail  came  in  for  severe  criti- 
cism, on  account  of  its  antiquated  architecture  and  unsanitary  condi- 
tions. Nothing  was  done  toward  its  improvement,  however,  until  191 1, 
when  the  jail  was  practically  rebuilt  at  a  cost  of  about  $19,000. 

Although  the  act  erecting  the  county  designated  the  boundaries,  no 
attempt  was  made  to  run  and  mark  the  lines  until  nearly  two  years  later. 
On  April  3,  1789,  the  supreme  executive  council  appointed  Benjamin 
Elliott,  of  Huntingdon ;  Matthew  Taylor,  of  Bedford ;  and  James  Har- 
ris, of  Cumberland  County,  "to  run  and  ascertain  the  boundaries  of 
Huntingdon  county."  Before  the  work  of  this  commission  was  com- 
pleted Mifflin  county  was  erected  by  the  act  of  September  19,  1789, 
and  when  an  attempt  was  made  to  run  the  line  between  ]\Iifflin  and 
Huntingdon  both  counties  laid  claim  to  a  small  strip  of  territory  south 
of  the  Juniata  river.  Jones  says  that  a  majority  of  the  residents  in 
the  disputed  territory  favored  the  Mifflin  county  cause,  and  adds : 
"They  were  mostly  Irish ;  and,  since  the  wars  were  over  and  no  enemy 
to  fight,  were  ever  ready,  with  true  Irish  hospitality,  to  take  a  brush 
with  their  neighbors."  While  the  dispute  was  at  its  height.  John  Pat- 
ton,  the  sherifif  of  Huntingdon  county,  went  into  the  district  in  con- 
troversy for  the  purpose  of  serving  writs  that  had  been  placed  in  his 
hands.  The  people,  learning  of  his  coming,  congregated  at  an  Irish 
tavern  at  Drake's  ferry,  took  him  into  custody  and  lodged  him  in  the 
Mifflin  county  jail  at  Lewistown.  He  secured  his  release  on  a  writ  of 
habeas  corpus  and,  smarting  under  the  humiliating  treatment  to  which 
he  had  been  subjected,  returned  to  Huntingdon,  where  he  organized  a 
posse,  determined  to  serve  the  writs  at  all  hazards.  Again  the  people 
assembled  to  make  resistance,  but  fortunately  the  sheriff  and  his  posse 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  49 

took  a  different  route  from  the  one  expected,  the  hostile  factions  failed 
to  come  together  and  violence  was  thus  avoided. 

The  cjuestion  was  finally  settled  by  legislative  action,  but  not   until 
two  acts  had  been  passed  relating  to  the  boundary  line.     On  April  i, 

1 79 1,  an  act  was  passed  defining  the  line  from  Concord  gap  north  to 
the  Juniata  river  and  appointing  commissioners  to  run  it.  As  this  line 
would  have  included  all  that  part  of  Mifflin  county  above  McVeytown 
in  Huntingdon  county,  the  people  of  the  former  opposed  the  measure 
and  succeeded   in  securing  the  passage  of  another  act  on  March  29, 

1792,  which  designated  the  boundary  between  the  counties  as  "a  straight 
line  beginning  in  the  middle  of  the  \\'ater  Gap  in  the  Tuscarora  moun- 
tain and  from  thence  to  the  river  Juniata,  in  such  direction  as  to 
include  Joseph  Galloway's  farm  within  Huntingdon  county,  at  the  mouth 
of  Galloway's  run,  shall  be  the  line  between  Huntingdon  and  ^liftlin 
counties." 

This  ended  the  controversy  concerning  the  territory  south  of  the 
Juniata  river,  though  the  line  was  more  clearly  defined  by  the  act  of 
April  5,  1834.  In  1895  a  dispute  arose  regarding  the  boundary  line 
north  of  the  Juniata,  which  was  carried  to  the  supreme  court  of  the 
state  before  it  was  settled.  An  account  of  this  controversy  will  be 
found  in  Chapter  VI. 

In  May,  1787,  a  convention  of  delegates  from  the  several  states 
met  at  Philadelphia  for  the  purpose  of  revising  the  articles  of  con- 
federation. Instead  of  revising  the  old  agreement  that  had  held  the 
colonies  together  during  the  trying  times  of  the  Revolution,  they 
adopted  a  new  constitution,  which  was  signed  by  most  of  the  delegates 
on  September  17,  1787,  only  three  days  before  the  passage  of  the  act 
erecting  Huntingdon  county.  Later  in  the  year  the  Pennsylvania 
convention  to  accept  or  reject  the  new  constitution  assembled,  Benjamin 
Elliott,  of  Huntingdon,  being  one  of  the  delegates.  Opposition  to  the 
constitution  developed  in  various  sections  of  the  country,  chiefly  on 
the  ground  that  it  was  one  of  compromise  and  concession,  so  made 
in  the  effort  to  harmonize  conflicting  interests,  and  that  it  lacked  the 
virility  which  ought  to  distinguish  the  organic  law  of  the  new  republic. 

In  no  part  of  the  country  was  the  opposition  more  marked  or  of  a 
more  violent  character  than  in  Huntingdon  county,  where  the  leader 
against    the    constitution    was    Colonel    William    IVIcAlevy,    a    man    of 


50  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

influence,  who  had  won  his  title  of  colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and 
had  been  particularly  active  as  the  foe  of  the  Indians  and  Tories. 
About  the  time  of  the  constitutional  convention  in  the  spring  of  1787, 
he  became  an  enthusiastic  Democrat  and  his  house  at  ]McAlevy's  fort, 
in  the  Standing  Stone  valley,  was  a  sort  of  political  headquarters  for 
his  numerous  followers,  over  whom  his  control  was  almost  absolute, 
though  it  does  not  appear  that  he  personally  took  an  active  part  in  the 
riotous  proceedings  that  followed  the  ratification  of  the  obnoxious 
constitution. 

The  first  pronounced  demonstration  was  made  on  the  opening  day 
of  the  session  of  the  court  in  ]\Iarch,  1788,  when  a  large  number  of 
men  armed  with  clubs  and  bearing  an  efiigy  of  Colonel  John  Cannon, 
membe'  of  the  supreme  executive  council  from  Huntingdon,  marched 
into  the  town  and  started  for  the  house  where  the  court  was  sitting. 
Two  of  the  justices  left  the  bench  and  went  out  to  meet  the  mob, 
hoping  to  induce  the  rioters  to  disperse  without  disturbing  the  peace. 
Their  efforts  were  without  avail,  however,  the  mob  marched  on  to 
the  house  in  which  the  court  was  being  held  and  there  made  so  much 
noise  that  the  transaction  of  business  was  impossible.  The  sherifif  was 
Ordered  to  arrest  the  one  who  seemed  to  be  the  most  active  and  commit 
him  to  jail,  but  no  sooner  had  the  leader  been  taken  into  custody  than 
he  was  released  by  his  associates,  the  sherifif  being  handled  somewhat 
roughly  during  the  fracas.  The  names  of  the  principals  were  then 
obtained  and  presented  to  the  grand  jury,  which  returned  a  true  l)ill, 
but  as  an  immediate  trial  was  out  of  the  question,  the  cases  were 
continued  until  the  following  session  of  the  court. 

Benjamin  Elliott  was  commissioned  lieutenant  of  the  county  on 
November  30,  1787,  and  soon  afterward  organized  a  battalion  of  militia. 
In  I\Iay.  1788,  this  battalion  was  ordered  to  assemble  for  muster  in 
the  Hartslosf  vallev.  Some  of  the  riotous  element  refused  to  muster 
under  Colonel  Cannon  and  Major  Spencer,  claiming  that  they  had 
been  unfairly  elected.  Elliott  was  also  the  object  of  their  enmity 
because  he  had  been  a  delegate  to  the  convention  that  had  ratified 
the  constittttion.  He  was  assaulted  by  several  persons  and  a  friend 
w-ho  tried  to  shield  him  from  the  unwarranted  attack  and  to  restore 
order  was  severely  handled.  In  his  report  of  the  affair,  Elliott  said : 
"They  met,  some  for  the  purpose  of  doing  their  duty  and  others  for 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNL\TA    VALLEY  51 

the  purpose  of  making  a  riot,  which  they  effected,  about  tlie  Federal 
Government,  in  which  riot  I  was  very  ih-used  by  a  senseless  banditti, 
who  were  inflamed  by  a  number  of  false  publications  privately  circu- 
lated by  people  wlio  were  enemies  of  the  Federal  Government." 

Warrants  were  issued  a  few  days  later  by  Thomas  Duncan  Smith, 
one  of  the  justices,  for  the  arrest  of  three  of  the  leaders  in  the  riot 
which  broke  up  the  muster.  They  were  taken  without  resistance  by 
the  constable  before  Thomas  McCune,  another  justice,  who  released 
them  upon  their  own  recognizances  with  the  injunction  to  appear  before 
Justice  Smith  five  days  later.  When  the  appointed  day  for  the  trial 
arrived  the  office  of  Justice  Smith  was  crowded  by  an  unrul}'  crowd 
and  the  defendants,  finding  themselves  supported  by  their  friends, 
refused  to  give  bail  and  demanded  that  they  be  committed  to  jail.  The 
justice  saw  that  this  was  merely  a  pretext  for  the  commission  of  further 
unlawful  deeds,  should  he  issue  such  an  order,  and  as  the  June  sessions 
of  the  court  were  only  a  few  days  off,  he  told  them  he  would  release 
them  without  security,  as  two  of  them  were  owners  of  real  estate. 
This  was  not  what  the  mob  wanted  and  in  the  afternoon  nearly  one 
hundred  men,  about  two-thirds  of  them  armed  with  rifles  or  muskets 
and  the  remainder  with  such  weapons  as  they  could  lay  hands  on, 
marched  into  Huntingdon.  At  the  corner  of  Penn  and  Diamond  streets 
they  formed  a  circle,  in  the  center  of  which  they  placed  Justice  Smith 
and  demanded  that  he  destroy  the  warrants.  This  he  refused  to  do, 
but  he  did  surrender  them  to  one  of  the  mob,  who  destroyed  them. 
The  crowd  then  went  to  the  office  of  the  clerk  of  the  court  of  quarter 
sessions,  where  they  demanded  and  received  the  indictment  that  had 
been  found  at  the  March  sessions  against  the  leaders  of  the  mob  that 
disturbed  the  session  of  the  court.  After  some  parley  the  clerk  yielded 
up  the  indictment,  which  was  also  destroyed.  From  the  clerk's  office 
the  mob  proceeded  to  the  house  in  which  the  court  sessions  were  held 
and  demanded  the  quarter  sessions  docket.  L^pon  gaining  possession 
of  it,  the  rioters  erased  or  tore  out  the  entries  relating  to  their  conduct 
in  March,  as  well  as  all  other  portions  that  they  did  not  like,  after  which 
they  threatened  certain  officials  with  summary  vengeance  and  left  town. 

During  these  high-handed  proceedings  the  law-abiding  part  of  the 
town  was  completely  powerless  to  offer  resistance.  Two  of  the  justices 
sought  safety — one  by  hiding  himself  and  the  other  in  flight.     Several 


52  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    \' ALLEY 

citizens  who  had  spoken  against  such  doings  were  Hkewise  compelled 
to  secrete  themselves ;  two  constables  were  forced  to  leave  their  homes 
in  order  to  save  their  lives ;  the  sheriff  could  not  discharge  his  duty 
in  the  matter  of  serving  writs :  business  of  all  kinds  was  depressed,  and 
Huntingdon  county  was  in  a  state  of  anarchy.  On  June  5.  1788,  a 
statement  of  the  outrages  and  unhappy  conditions  then  prevailing  in 
the  county  was  sent  to  the  council,  in  the  minutes  of  which  body  for 
June  25,  1788.  may  be  found  the  following  entry: 

"A  letter  from  two  of  the  magistrates  of  Huntingdon  county, 
stating  that  the  daring  and  violent  outrages  were  committed  by  a 
lawless  set  of  men.  that  the  officers  of  the  Government  have  been  in- 
sulted and  their  lives  endangered,  and  that  part  of  the  records  of  the 
Court  have  been  destroyed  and  erased,  was  read,  praying  the  support  of 
the  Government.  &c.     Thereupon. 

"Resolved,  That  the  most  proper  and  effectual  measures  be  imme- 
diately taken  to  quell  the  disturbances  in  Huntingdon  county,  and  to 
restore  order  and  good  government,  and  that  the  Honorable  Judges 
of  the  Supreme  Court  be  informed  that  the  Supreme  Executive  will 
give  them  aid  and  assistance,  which  the  laws  of  the  State  will  warrant, 
and  shall  be  found  necessary  to  accomplish  this  end." 

Although  this  resolution  promised  well  and  encouraged  the  law- 
abiding  citizens  of  the  county,  the  state  was  not  so  ready  to  fulfill  the 
promise  with  the  vigorous  action  necessary  to  "quell  the  disturbances." 
In  fact,  between  the  time  the  magistrates  notified  the  council  of  the 
situation  and  the  passage  of  the  resolution,  Samuel  Clinton.  Abraham 
Smith  and  William  McCune  came  into  Huntingdon  at  the  head  of 
about  twenty  men,  assaulted  Alexander  Irwin,  a  peaceable  citizen,  and 
at  night  stoned  the  residences  of  the  coimty  officers,  Benjamin  Elliott, 
Robert  Gall)raith.  Andrew  Henderson  and  Thomas  Duncan  Smith 
seemed  to  be  the  greatest  objects  of  their  enmity,  perhaps  because  they 
were  the  most  active  in  trying  to  preserve  or  restore  order.  They  were 
threatened  w-ith  tar  and  feathers,  whipping  and  other  indignities,  and 
even  death,  if  they  did  not  cease  their  efforts  to  enforce  the  laws. 

Some  six  weeks  after  the  adoption  of  the  resolution  above  referred 
to,  a  body  of  160  men  from  all  parts  of  the  county,  led  by  Colonel 
McAlevy,  John  and  Abraham  Smith  and  John  Little,  paraded  the 
streets  of  Huntingdon.     This  is  the  only  time  Colonel  Mc.VIevy's  naine 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  53 

appears  in  the  accounts  of  the  rioting  as  an  active  participant,  though 
it  was  generally  understood  that  he  was  behind  the  movement.  No 
arms  were  visible,  but  the  general  impression  was  that  they  carried 
weapons  concealed.  The  county  officers  and  others  who  gave  support 
to  the  constitution  hurried  to  the  house  of  Benjamin  Elliott,  where 
they  armed  themselves  and  resolved  to  defend  their  position.  Finding 
the  officers  ready  to  meet  an  attack,  the  rioters  contented  themselves 
with  marching  through  the  town  with  fife  and  drum,  their  object  being 
apparently  to  awe  the  citizens  with  the  display  of  their  strength. 

In  June,  1789,  the  subject  again  came  before  the  council,  but 
the  excitement  had  subsided  to  some  extent  and  it  was  resolved  by  that 
body  to  postpone  any  action,  which  was  probably  the  best  thing  that 
could  be  done  under  the  circumstances.  The  constitution  had  been 
ratified  by  a  majority  of  the  states  and  was  recognized  as  the  funda- 
mental law  of  the  land.  Consequently  its  opponents  in  Huntingdon 
county  realized  that  further  resistance  to  its  provisions  was  useless,  and 
the  "tempest  in  a  teapot"  exhausted  its  fury  without  loss  of  life,  though 
several  persons  were  roughly  treated  while  it  was  at  its  height.  If 
any  of  the  ringleaders  were  ever  punished  the  records  do  not  show  the 
fact.  Lytle  says :  "It  has  generally  been  stated  and  believed  by  those 
who  have  nothing  but  traditionary  accounts  of  these  occurrences,  that 
the  records  of  the  court  were  burned  by  ]\IcAlevy  and  his  men,  but 
there  is  no  official  evidence  that  such  was  the  case.  There  are  in 
existence  authentic  and  reliable  documents  which  seem  to  prove  con- 
clusively that  some  of  the  records  were  torn  and  others  obliterated  by 
erasures.  It  has  been  said  that  a  copy  of  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States  was  burned,  and  this  may  have  been  correct,  and  may  have  given 
rise  to  the  statement  that  other  papers  were  destroyed  in  the  same  way." 

The  visitor  to  Huntingdon  county  at  the  present  day,  who  sees  on 
every  hand  abundant  evidences  of  order,  industry  and  peace,  or  he  who 
looks  into  her  history  and  observes  how  promptly  her  gallant  sons  have 
responded  to  their  country's  call  in  time  of  war,  can  scarcely  believe 
that  there  was  a  considerable  portion  of  her  population  that  resisted 
the  authority  of  the  Federal  government  in  its  earliest  days.  These 
men  were  doubtless  moved  by  principle  to  take  the  course  they  did, 
but  when  they  found  themselves  unable  to  accomplish  their  ends  even  by 
intimidation  and  other  lawless  methods,  they  accepted  the  situation  as 


54  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

gracefully  as  circumstances  would  permit  and  acknowledged  the  right 
of  the  majority  to  rule.  Descendants  of  some  of  them  still  reside  in 
the  county  and  are  numbered  among  the  loyal  and  order-loving  citizens. 

The  first  white  man  to  leave  any  written  account  of  a  visit  to 
that  section  of  Pennsylvania  now  comprising  Huntingdon  county  was 
Conrad  W'eiser.  He  was  born  in  Germany  in  1696  and  came  to  America 
in  17 10.  Immediately  upon  his  arrival  in  this  country  he  went  among 
the  ^Mohawk  Indians  for  the  purpose  of  learning  their  language,  in 
order  that  he  might  be  qualified  to  act  as  interpreter  between  the  tribes 
of  the  Six  Nations  and  the  German  traders.  In  1729  he  settled  in 
Pennsylvania  and  during  the  last  thirty  years  of  his  life  he  was  closely 
identified  with  many  of  the  principal  events  in  the  history  of  the 
province.  His  first  appearance  as  interpreter  in  Pennsylvania  was  on 
December  10,  1731,  at  a  council  in  Philadelphia.  On  that  occasion 
his  ability  so  impressed  the  provincial  authorities  that  he  was  frequently 
employed  on  missions  of  an  important  and  confidential  nature.  His 
home  was  known  as  "Tulpyhocken,"  in  what  is  now  Berks  county,  but 
he  spent  very  little  of  his  time  there,  his  duties  as  interpreter  and  pro- 
vincial agent  constantly  calling  him  to  different  parts  of  the  country. 
In  March,  1748,  arrangements  were  made  for  him  to  visit  the  Indian 
tribes  on  the  Ohio  to  distribute  presents  and  make  treaties  with  them, 
and  incidentally  to  carry  the  government's  proclamation  to  the  tres- 
passers on  the  Indian  lands  west  of  the  Blue  mountains,  notifying  them 
to  vacate.  Weiser  started  from  his  home  on  August  11,  1748,  and  on 
the  17th  "crossed  the  Tuscarora  Hill  and  came  to  the  sleeping  place 
called  Black  Log,  20  miles."  The  next  day  he  and  his  party  came 
within  two  miles  of  the  site  of  the  present  borough  of  Huntingdon 
and  on  the  20th  he  was  at  Frankstown  (Blair  county),  "but  saw  no 
House  or  Cabins ;  here  we  overtook  the  Goods,  because  four  of  George 
Croghan's  Hands  fell  sick,  26  miles."  In  Weiser's  party  were  George 
Croghan,  the  Indian  trader:  Andrew  IMontour,  who  later  settled  in 
Perry  county;  William  Franklin,  a  son  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  and  a 
number  of  other  persons  of  less  note.  His  journal  and  report  of  his 
journey  and  mission  form  the  first  written  accounts  of  what  is  now 
Huntingdon  county. 

Six  years  later  John  Harris,  in  his  description  of  the  road  from 
his   ferry   (Harrisburg)   to  Logstown,   on  the  Allegheny  river,  gives 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  55 

the  distances  between  various  points  in  what  is  now  Huntingdon  count)'. 
Beginning  at  the  "Tuscaroraw"  hill,  these  distances  are  as  follows: 
"To  the  Cove  Spring,  10  miles;  to  the  Shadow  of  Death  (Shade  Gap), 
8  miles;  to  the  Black  Log,  3  miles."  At  that  point  the  road  forked,  one 
branch  leading  to  Raystown  and  the  other  to  Frankstown.  Following 
the  latter,  Harris  continues  his  table  of  distances,  to  wit :  "Now  be- 
ginning at  the  Black  Log,  Franks  Town  Road,  to  Aughwhick,  6  miles ; 
to  Jack  Armstrong's  Narrows,  so  called  from  his  being  there  murdered, 
8  miles;  to  the  Standing  Stone  (about  14  ft.  high,  6  inches  square), 
10  miles.  At  each  of  these  places  we  cross  the  Juniata.  To  the  next 
and  last  crossing  of  the  Juniata,  8  miles;  to  Water  Street  (branch  of 
Juniata),  10  miles;  to  the  Big  Lick,  10  miles;  to  Franks  (Stephen's) 
Town,  5  miles." 

Harris'  journey  was  made  in  the  year  the  Juniata  valley  was 
purchased  from  the  Six  Nations  and  the  actual  settlement  of  the 
country  dates  from  that  time.  As  stated  in  Chapter  III,  a  few  land 
warrants  were  issued  for  tracts  in  Huntingdon  county  in  1755.  but  the 
French  and  Indian  war  coming  on  just  at  that  time  checked  the  tide 
of  immigration.  Says  Lytle :  "For  a  period  of  seven  years  after 
1755,  the  region  west  of  the  Tuscarora  mountain  remained  in  almost 
primitive  serenity.  During  all  that  time  there  seems  to  have  been  no 
demand  whatever  for  the  lands.  The  Indians  had  succeeded,  for  the 
time  being,  in  making  them  valueless  to  the  proprietaries,  by  increasing 
the  dangers  of  frontier  life  to  such  an  extent  that  no  man  was  willing 
to  encounter  them." 

The  year  1762  witnessed  a  revival  of  settlement  and  lands  specu- 
lation, especially  the  latter,  and  a  large  number  of  land  warrants  were 
issued  from  the  land  office  and  surveys  made.  I\Iany  of  these  warrants 
covered  the  most  fertile  sections  of  the  Juniata  valley  and  were  taken 
out  by  residents  of  the  eastern  cities,  not  for  the  purpose  of  establishing 
homes  there,  but  purely  as  a  matter  of  speculation.  They  were  not 
permitted  to  realize  speedily  upon  their  investments,  however,  for  in 
the  summer  of  1763  Indian  depredations  again  drove  a  number  of 
settlers  from  their  homes  and  discouraged  others  from  coming  to  the 
a  more  permanent  character.  A  few  settlers  came  in  during  the 
Revolution  and  after  the  close  of  that  war  the  population  increased 
more  rapidly.     In  1790,  when  the  first  United  States  census  was  taken, 


56  HISTORY    OF    THE    JL'MATA    VALLEY 

the  population  of  Huntingdon  county  was  7,565.  At  that  time  the 
county  was  much  larger  than  it  is  at  present.  A  portion  of  Huntingdon 
was  taken  to  form  Center  county  by  the  act  of  February  19,  1800: 
Cambria  county  was  organized  from  Huntingdon  and  Somerset  by  the 
act  of  March  26,  1804;  and  Blair  county  was  taken  from  the  counties 
of  Huntingdon  and  Bedford  by  the  act  of  February  26,  1846.  Since 
then  the  size  and  boundaries  of  the  county  have  remained  unchanged, 
the  area  being  899  square  miles,  or  575,360  acres.  The  surface  is 
much  broken  by  mountain  ranges,  but  along  the  Juniata,  the  Raystown 
branch  and  Aughwick  creek,  and  in  the  various  valleys  there  are  many 
fine  farms. 

It  may  be  a  surprise  to  many  people  of  the  present  generation  to 
read  that  slavery  was  once  tolerated  in  Huntingdon  county,  but  such 
was  the  case.  Of  the  7,565  inhabitants  of  the  county  in  1790,  forty- 
three  were  slaves.  Thirty-two  slaves  were  reported  in  the  census  of 
1800;  none  in  18 10;  five  in  1820,  and  eight  in  1830.  Since  then  every 
citizen  of  the  county  has  been  a  freeman. 

Huntingdon  county  was  represented  in  each  of  the  four  conventions 
that  framed  the  state's  four  constitutions.  Pursuant  to  the  call  of  the 
Provincial  Conference,  which  met  in  Carpenter's  Hall,  Philadelphia, 
June  18,  1776,  delegates  to  a  constitutional  convention  were  elected 
on  the  8th  of  July  following.  They  met  on  the  fifteenth  and  remained 
in  session  until  September  28,  1776.  when  the  first  constitution  was 
completed.  Bedford  county,  of  which  Huntingdon  was  then  a  part, 
was  represented  by  eight  delegates,  seven  of  whom  signed  the  consti- 
tution, namely:  Benjamin  Elliott,  Thomas  Coulter,  Joseph  Powell, 
John  Burd,  John  Cessna,  John  Wilkins  and  Thomas  Smith.  Lender 
the  constitution  adopted  by  this  convention,  the  executive  power  and 
authority  of  the  state  was  vested  in  a  Supreme  Executive  Council  of 
twelve  members  elected  by  the  people.  Huntingdon  county  had  a 
representative  in  this  council  from  the  time  it  was  erected  during  the 
remainder  of  the  life  of  the  constitution,  or  until  the  inauguration  of 
the  first  governor  in  1790.  John  Cannon  took  his  seat  as  a  member  of 
the  council  on  November  21,  1787,  and  his  name  figures  prominently 
in  the  proceedings  during  the  two  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  body. 
Before  the  formation  of  Huntingdon  county  he  represented  Bedford 
in  the  assembly:  was  a  conspicuous  character  at  the  time  of  the  rebellion 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  57 

against  the  Federal  constitution ;  subsequently  was  appointed  associate 
judge;  served  three  terms  in  the  lower  house  of  the  legislature  and  one 
term  in  the  state  senate. 

Benjamin  Elliott  was  the  only  delegate  in  the  convention  of  1776 
from  the  present  territory  of  Huntingdon  county.  He  was  one  of  the 
trustees  named  in  the  act  erecting  the  county  eleven  years  later;  was 
the  first  sheriff  and  first  lieutenant  of  the  county;  a  member  of  the 
state  convention  to  ratify  the  constitution  of  the  United  States,  which 
made  him  the  special  object  of  enmity  of  the  opponents  of  that  instru- 
ment; succeeded  Colonel  John  Cannon  as  a  member  of  the  supreme 
executive  council ;  later  served  as  county  treasurer,  county  commissioner 
and  associate  judge,  and  was  for  many  years  a  prominent  factor  in 
public  affairs.  He  died  on  March  15,  1835,  aged  eighty-three  years, 
and  some  of  his  descendants  still  live  in  Himtingdon  county. 

The  second  constitutional  convention  met  in  Philadelphia  on 
November  24,  1789,  and  provided  for  the  publication  of  the  results 
of  its  labors  on  February  26,  1790.  Andrew  Henderson  was  the  only 
member  of  this  convention  from  Huntingdon  county.  At  that  time  he 
held  the  offices  of  prothonotary  and  register  and  recorder.  When 
Henderson  township  was  erected  in  18 14,  the  court  directed  that  it  be 
given  its  name  "in  consideration  of  the  distinguished  uprightness  of 
the  late  General  Andrew  Henderson  as  a  public  officer,  and  his  services 
during  the  Revolutionary  war."  Thomas  Mifflin  was  inaugurated 
governor  under  this  constitution  in  December,  1790. 

A  third  constitutional  convention  was  held  at  Harrisburg,  beginning 
on  May  2,  1837.  The  delegates  to  this  convention  were  elected  from 
the  several  senatorial  and  representative  districts.  For  the  senatorial 
district  composed  of  Huntingdon,  Mifilin,  Juniata,  Perry  and  Union 
counties,  the  delegates  were  James  ^Merrill  and  William  P.  Maclay. 
Huntingdon  county  was  represented  by  Samuel  C.  Royer  and  Cornelius 
Crum.     The  constitution  went  into  effect  the  following  year. 

David  R.  Porter,  the  first  governor  to  be  elected  under  the  con- 
stitution of  1838,  was  an  adopted  son  of  Huntingdon  county.  He  was 
born  near  Norristown.  Montgomery  county,  October  31,  1788,  a  son 
of  General  x\ndrew  Porter,  an  officer  in  the  Continental  army  during  the 
.Revolution.  After  a  good  preliminary  training  in  the  Norristown 
Academy,  he  entered  Princeton  College,  where  he  was  a  student  when 


S8  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

the  buildings  of  the  institution  were  destroyed  by  fire,  which  ended 
his  college  career.  In  1809  General  Porter  was  appointed  surveyor- 
general  and  took  his  son  David  into  the  office  as  an  assistant.  While 
thus  employed  the  young  man  began  the  study  of  law.  His  health 
became  impaired,  however,  and  he  gave  up  both  the  law  and  his 
position  as  assistant  surveyor-general.  He  then  came  to  Huntingdon 
county,  where  he  was  for  a  time  employed  as  a  clerk  at  the  Barree 
forge,  finally  becoming  manager  of  the  works.  With  the  experience 
thus  gained,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Edward  Patton  and  began 
the  manufacture  of  iron  at  the  forges  on  Spruce  creek.  The  business 
proved  unprofitable  and  in  February,  18 19,  the  firm  made  an  assignment 
for  the  benefit  of  their  creditors.  The  same  year  Mr.  Porter  was  elected 
to  the  legislature  from  Huntingdon  county  and  was  twice  reelected. 
He  then  held  several  offices  by  appointment  until  1836,  when  he  was 
elected  to  the  state  senate  from  the  district  composed  of  Huntingdon, 
Mifflin,  Juniata,  Perry  and  Union  counties.  Before  the  expiration 
of  his  term  as  senator  he  was  elected  governor  and  was  inaugurated  on 
January  15,  1839.  In  1841  he  was  reelected  by  a  majority  nearly  four 
times  as  large  as  the  one  he  received  in  1838.  L^pon  retiring  from  the 
governor's  office  he  again  turned  his  attention  to  the  manufacture  of 
iron  and  erected  at  Harrisburg  the  first  anthracite  furnace  in  that 
section  of  the  state.     He  died  on  August  6,  1868. 

Another  Huntingdon  county  man  to  achieve  prominence  in  public 
life  while  the  constitution  of  1838  was  in  force  was  Hon.  John  Scott, 
who  was  born  at  Alexandria,  Huntingdon  county,  July  14,  1824.  His 
father  served  as  major  in  the  L'nited  States  army  in  the  War  of  1812 
and  afterward  was  a  member  of  the  Twenty-first  Congress  from  Penn- 
sylvania. John  Scott  received  a  good  education  and  in  1842  began  the 
study  of  law  with  Alexander  Thomson,  of  Chambersburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  January,  1846,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  soon  after 
that  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Huntingdon.  For 
several  years  he  was  deputy  attorney-general  for  that  county  and  in 
1 85 1  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  board  of  revenue  commissioners. 
The  following  year  he  led  the  opposition  to  the  nomination  of  James 
Buchanan  for  the  presidency  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  In  1853  he 
visited  Europe  to  recuperate  his  health  and  upon  his  return  was  nomin- 
ated by   the   Citizens'   convention    for   the   state   legislature,   but   was 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  59 

defeated  because  he  refused  to  countenance  the  "Know-Nothings,"  which 
organization  was  about  that  time  active  in  American  politics.  He  was 
defeated  for  the  state  senate  as  a  Douglas  Democrat  in  i860,  but  the 
succeeding  year  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  legislature  without 
opposition.  When  the  assembly  convened  he  tried  to  organize  the  house 
without  distinction  of  party  and  wanted  the  legislature  to  pledge  the 
state  "to  the  cordial  support  of  the  general  government  in  the  supres- 
sion  of  the  rebellion."  This  policy  was  declined  by  the  Democratic 
caucus  and  Mr.  Scott  and  other  war  Democrats  acted  with  the  Republi- 
can members  in  organizing  the  house.  In  1863  he  advocated  the  reelec- 
tion of  Governor  Curtin  and  he  supported  Mr.  Lincoln  for  the 
presidency  in  1864.  In  1868  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican 
national  convention  and  at  the  ensuing  session  of  the  legislature  was 
elected  L'nited  States  senator,  taking  the  oath  of  office  on  March  4, 
1869.  As  senator  he  served  upon  several  important  committees  and  was 
an  active  participant  in  shaping  the  legislation  of  that  period.  Aside 
from  his  professional  labors  and  his  political  activity,  he  was  interested 
in  various  enterprises  calculated  to  advance  the  material  interests  of 
his  native  county.  He  was  one  of  the  projectors  of  the  Huntingdon 
&  Broad  Top  railroad  and  labored  assiduously  for  the  success  of  the 
undertaking.  At  the  close  of  his  term  in  the  senate  he  was  made 
general  counsel  for  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  and  removed 
to  Pittsburgh,  where  the  company's  offices  were  located. 

The  fourth  and  last  constitutional  convention  met  in  the  capitol  at 
Harrisburg  on  November  12,  1872.  In  this  convention  there  were  133 
delegates — 28  from  the  state  at  large  and  103  from  the  senatorial 
districts.  The  Twenty-second  district,  which  was  composed  of  the 
counties  of  Huntingdon,  Center,  Juniata  and  Mifflin,  was  represented 
by  John  McCulloch  and  John  M.  Bailey,  of  Huntingdon,  and  Andrew 
Reed,  of  Miftlin.  On  November  2y.  1872.  the  convention  adjourned  to 
meet  in  Philadelphia  on  January  7,  1873.  At  the  adjourned  session 
was  framed  a  new  organic  law,  which  was  submitted  to  the  voters  of 
the  state  at  a  special  election  on  December  16,  1873,  when  it  was 
adopted  by  a  decisive  majority. 

John  McCulloch  was  born  in  Juniata  county,  Pennsylvania,  Novem- 
ber 15,  1806;  graduated  at  Washington  College,  Washington,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1825,  and  four  years  later  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.  from 


6o  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXLVTA    WXLLEY 

the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Pennsyh-ania.  Soon  after 
that  he  located  at  Petersburg,  Huntingdon  county,  where  he  practiced 
a  short  time  and  then  removed  to  Huntingdon.  In  1852  he  was  elected 
to  Congress  from  the  district  composed  of  Cambria,  Blair,  Huntingdon 
and  ]\Iifflin  counties  and  served  one  term. 

John  M.  Bailey  was  born  at  Dillsburg,  York  county,  Pennsylvania, 
July  II,  1839.  In  1857  he  removed  to  Huntingdon  county,  where  for 
several  years  he  taught  in  the  public  schools.  He  then  read  law  with 
Scott  &  Brown,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  on  August  11,  1862,  and 
entered  into  a  partnership  with  his  preceptors,  which  association  lasted 
until  !Mr.  Scott's  election  to  the  United  States  senate.  After  that  lie 
continued  in  practice  at  Huntingdon  and  took  an  active  interest  in  pub- 
lic and  political  affairs. 

Besides  Major  John  Scott,  who  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1828, 
and  Dr.  John  McCulloch,  who  was  elected  in  1852,  Huntingdon  county 
furnished  the  congressman  for  the  Seventeenth  district,  composed  of 
the  counties  of  Cambria,  Blair,  Huntingdon  and  Mifflin,  in  1870,  when 
R.  ]Milton  Speer  was  elected.  He  was  born  in  the  village  of  Cassville, 
Huntingdon  county,  September  8,  1838,  his  parents  having  come  from 
Belfast,  Ireland,  some  years  before.  After  attending  the  seminary  in 
his  native  village,  he  taught  in  the  public  schools  for  several  years, 
studying  law  as  opportunity  offered.  In  the  fall  of  1859  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  and  the  following  April  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Huntingdon.  From  1859  to  1861  he  was  the  editor  of 
the  Huntingdon  Union,  the  county  Democratic  organ,  and  in  1863  he 
served  as  assistant  clerk  in  the  house  of  representatives  in  the  state 
legislature.  In  1870  he  was  nominated  for  Congress  against  Hon. 
Daniel  J.  Morrell,  who  had  already  served  two  terms  and  whose  defeat 
was  thought  to  be  almost  impossible.  Mr.  Speer  was  elected  by  the 
small  majority  of  eleven  votes.  Two  years  later  he  was  reelected, 
defeating  Hon.  A.  A.  Barker,  who  had  been  elected  to  represent  the 
district  in  Congress  in  1864. 

In  the  early  part  of  this  chapter  is  given  a  list  of  the  first  county 
officers,  with  the  dates  when  they  received  their  commissions.  Follow- 
ing is  a  list  of  the  county  officers  from  the  organization  of  the  county 
to  1 912,  as  completely  as  it  could  be  obtained  from  the  records,  with 
the  year  of  election  or  appointment. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  6i 

Sheriffs — Benjamin  Elliott,  1787;  John  Patton,  1788;  John  Gal- 
braith,  1792;  John  Patton,  1795;  James  McMurtrie,  1798;  John  Patton, 
1801 ;  John  Miller,  1804;  John  Patton,  1806:  Patrick  Gwin,  1809;  John 
Patton,  1812;  Patrick  Gwin,  1815;  John  Patton.  1818;  Patrick  Gwin, 
1821;  William  Speer,  1824;  William  Simpson,  1827;  Thomas  Johnston, 
1830;  James  Henderson,  1833  ;  Thomas  Lloyd,  1836  (Sheriff  Lloyd  died 
in  1837  and  Joseph  Higgins  was  appointed  to  serve  until  the  next 
election,  when  Joseph  Shannon  was  elected  for  the  remainder  of  the 
term);  John  Brotherline,  1839;  John  Shaver,  1841 ;  John  Armitage, 
1844;  Matthew  Crownover,  1847;  William  B.  Zeigler,  1850;  Joshua 
Greenland,  1853;  Graffus  Miller,  1856:  John  C.  Watson,  1859;  G.  W. 
Johnston,  1862;  James  F.  Bathurst,  1865:  D.  R.  P.  Neely,  1868; 
Anion  Houck,  1871  ;  T.  K.  Henderson,  1874;  S.  H.  Irwin,  1877;  William 
J.  Geissinger,  1880:  George  W.  McAlevy,  1883;  Joseph  G.  Isenberg, 
1886;  David  Wilson,  1889;  Thomas  ]\I.  Oaks,  1892;  David  Wilson, 
1895;  B.  S.  Rumberger,  1898;  David  Wilson,  1901 ;  G.  Chal.  Port, 
1903:  Frank  W^  Stewart,  1906;  Harry  S.  Smith,  1909. 

Prothonotancs — Lazarus  B.  McClain,  1787;  Andrew  Henderson, 
1788;  William  Steel,  1809;  J.  A.  Henderson,  1821 ;  David  R.  Porter, 
1823;  Robert  Campbell.  1836:  James  Steel,  1839;  Theodore  H.  Cremer, 
1848;  M.  F.  Campbell,  1854:  D.  Caldwell,  1857;  W.  C.  Wagoner,  i860; 
J.  R.  Simpson,  1866;  M.  M.  McNeil,  1869;  T.  W.  Myton,  1872;  L.  :\I. 
Stewart,  1875;  W.  M.  Williamson,  1878;  James  Kelly,  1884;  John 
Brewster,  1887:  Samuel  A.  Steel,  1893;  George  G.  Steel,  1899;  I.  N. 
Swope,  1905;  George  W.  Wright,  191 1. 

Registers  and  Recorders — Andrew  Henderson,  1787;  William 
Steel,  1809;  Richard  Smith,  1821 ;  William  Kerr,  1824:  David  R. 
Porter,  1827;  John  Reed,  1836;  Jacob  Miller,  1845;  ^^-  F-  Campbell, 
1848;  Henry  Glazier,  1854;  D.  W.  Womelsdorf,  i860;  J.  E.  Smucker, 
1866;  W.  E.  Lightner,  1875;  Irvin  D.  Kuntzelman,  1878;  John  S.  Bare, 
1884;  Milton  \Y  Isenberg,  1890:  B.  F.  Godard,  1896;  E.  E.  Enyeart, 
1902;  William  H.  Trude,  1905;  Nopher  Beck,  1911. 

Treasurers — David  McMurtrie,  1787;  Benjamin  Elliott,  1788; 
John  Johnston,  1800;  Robert  Allison,  1806;  Thomas  Ker,  1809;  John 
Huyett,  1812;  Samuel  Steel,  1813;  Thomas  Ker,  1815;  Samuel  Steel, 
1818;  Isaac  Dorland,  1821 ;  John  Miller,  1824;  Walter  Clarke,  1826; 
Isaac  Dorland,  1829;  Jacob  Miller,  1832;  Thomas  Fisher,  1835;  David 


62  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Snare,  1S38;  David  Blair,  1838;  Andrew  B.  Hirst,  1841 ;  George  Taylor, 
1843;  Joseph  Law,  1845;  Isaac  Neff,  1847;  John  A.  Doyle,  1849; 
John  Marks,  185 1:  Joseph  Stephens,  1853;  -"^-  ^-  Crewitt,  1855  (died 
in  office  and  F.  H.  Lane  was  appointed  on  April  14,  1857,  to  till  out  the 
unexpired  term  J  ;  F.  H.  Lane  (elected  for  a  full  termj,  1857;  H.  T. 
White,  1859;  J.  A.  Nash,  1861  ;  David  Black.  1863;  Thomas  W.  Myton, 
1865;  M.  M.  Logan,  1867;  Samuel  J.  Cloyd.  1869;  A.  W.  Kenyon, 
1871;  T.  W.  Montgomery,  1873;  G.  Ashman  Miller,  1875;  A.  P.  Mc- 
Elwain,  1878;  Harris  Richardson,  1881  ;  Anion  W.  Swoope,  1884; 
E.  O.  Rogers,  1887;  John  G.  Simpson,  1890;  George  M.  Green,  1893; 
Henry  S.  Musser.  1896;  A.  R.  Lefifard,  1899;  William  H.  Chilcote, 
1902;  Alfred  W.  Spyker,  1905;  Thomas  W.  Myton,  1908;  P.  B. 
Cutshall,   191 1. 

Prior  to  the  adoption  of  the  constitution  of  1838  the  offices  of 
prothonotary,  register  and  recorder  and  treasurer  were  filled  by  ap- 
pointment. Prothonotaries  were  appointed  by  the  governor,  the  tenure 
of  office  depending  largely  upon  the  conduct  of  the  appointee.  The 
first  prothonotary  to  be  elected  by  the  people  was  James  Steel,  who 
was  elected  at  the  annual  election  in  1839.  John  Reed  was  elected 
register  and  recorder  at  the  same  time,  the  first  one  to  be  chosen  by 
the  people.  From  the  erection  of  the  county  to  1841,  the  treasurers 
were  appointed  annually  by  the  county  commissioners.  The  above  list 
covering  that  period  was  compiled  by  reference  to  the  bonds  filed  with 
the  county  commissioners.  No  bonds  can  be  found  for  the  years 
between  1789  and  1799.  nor  for  the  years  1802,  1804,  1805  and  1828, 
but  it  is  quite  probable  that  the  treasurer  of  the  preceding  year  continued 
in  office  by  reappointment  under  the  old  bond.  The  office  was  made 
elective  by  the  act  of  May  27,  1841,  and  the  incumbent  at  that  time, 
Andrew  B.  Hirst,  was  elected  in  October  of  that  year. 

County  Coiiunissioncrs — Three  commissioners  were  elected  in  1787, 
upon  the  organization  of  the  county.  From  that  time  to  1875,  with 
three  exceptions,  it  appears  that  one  commissioner  was  elected  annualh-. 
Since  1875  a  full  board  of  three  members  has  been  elected  every  three 
years.  Following  is  the  list:  1787,  David  Stewart,  John  Dean,  James 
Sommerville;  1788,  Patrick  Cassidy;  1789,  Robert  Riddle;  1790,  John 
Cadwallader;  1791,  John  Blair;  1792,  Patrick  Galbraith;  1793,  John 
Shaver;    1794,   James   Kerr;    1795,    Thomas   Morrow;    1796,    William 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  63 

Steel;  1797,  Hugh  Morrison;  1798,  John  Steel;  1799,  John  Cadwalla- 
der;  1800,  Benjamin  EUiott;  1801,  Joseph  Patton;  1802,  Thomas 
Wilson;  1803,  \\'illiam  Wilson;  1804,  John  Crawford;  1805,  Joseph 
Patton;  1806,  John  Robison;  1807,  John  Huyett;  1808,  David  Lloyd; 
1809,  R.  James  Law;  1810,  Robert  Provines;  181 1,  John  Sharrer;  1812, 
William  Simpson;  1813,  Maxwell  Kinkead;  1814,  John  Morrison;  1815, 
Matthew  Wilson;  1816,  Philip  Roller;  1817,  Peter  Cassidy;  1818, 
Samuel  Gooshorn ;  1819,  James  Simpson;  1820.  William  Reed;  1821, 
John  Stewart;  1822,  John  Cresswell;  1823,  John  McMullen;  1824, 
William  Simpson;  1825,  Conrad  Bucher;  1826,  Henry  Beaver;  1827, 
James  Steel;  1828,  George  Ashman;  1829,  John  Stewart;  1830,  Jacob 
Hoffman;  1831,  Samuel  Smith;  1832,  John  Lutz;  1833,  Robert  Lytle ; 
1834,  John  Stewart;  1835,  Peter  Hewitt;  1836,  John  Stever;  1837, 
Peter  Swoope;  1838,  James  Moore;  1839,  Joshua  Roller;  1840,  Kenzie 
L.  Green;  1841,  Robert  Moore;  1842,  Alexander  Knox;  1843,  Joli"  F. 
Miller  (i  year),  Mordecai  Chilcote;  1844,  John  F.  Miller;  1845,  William 
Bell;  1846,  Daniel  Teague  (2  years),  Robert  Cummins  (3  years); 
1847,  Joshua  Greenland;  (no  election  in  1848);  1849,  Isaac  Peightal; 
1850,  Benjamin  Leas;  1851,  Robert  Still  (2  years),  Eliel  Smith  (3 
years);  1852,  Samuel  Wigton;  1853,  Thomas  Hamer;  1854.  Benjamin 
K.  Neff;  1855,  Jacob  Baker;  1856,  H.  L.  McCarthy;  1857,  George 
W.  Mattern;  1858,  John  Flenner;  1859,  M.  F.  Campbell;  i860,  John 
Cummins;  1861,  John  S.  Isett;  1862,  P.  M.  Bare;  1863,  John  House- 
holder; 1864,  Jacob  ]\Iiller;  1865,  Adam  Warfel;  1866,  Adam  Fouse; 
1867,  Samuel  Cummins;  1868,  Simeon  Wright;  1869,  George  Jackson; 
1870,  A.  B.  Miller;  1871,  Jonathan  Evans;  1872,  David  Hare;  1873, 
N.  K.  Covert;  1874,  W.  J.  Ammerman;  1875,  Andrew  G.  Neff,  David 
B.  Weaver  and  A.  Wesley  Wright;  1878,  W.  H.  Benson,  James  Smith 
and  Benjamin  Isenberg;  1881,  Henry  Davis,  Nicholas  Isenberg  and 
Samuel  P.  Smith;  1884.  David  A.  Sisney,  Jacob  F.  Hoover  and  John 
M.  Johnston;  1887,  Wesley  Gregory,  David  A.  Griffith  and  Robert 
McNeal;  1890,  A.  J.  Miller,  John  Mierly  and  Jackson  Lamberson; 
1893,  James  A.  Wilson,  James  H.  Garner  and  Jackson  L.  Grove; 
1896,  A.  S.  Welch,  Andrew  Schuldt  and  Peter  Kean  (Commissioner 
Kean  died  in  April,  1899,  and  John  S.  Miller  was  appointed  to  the 
vacancy)  ;  1899,  George  W.  Stewart,  \^4lliam  H.  Johnston  and  Alonzo 
W.  Jones;  1902,  A.  L.  Couch,  William  B.  Wilson  and  A.  L.  Carothers; 


64  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUMATA    VALLEY 

1905,  H.  D.  Taylor,  Christ  Bush  and  Henry  H.  Davis;  1908,  \\'iniam 
L.  Johnston,  Elhott  R.  Wible  and  J.  K.  Wiley;  191 1,  J.  G.  Allison, 
Adam  J.  Black  and  Walter  S.  Herncane. 

State  Senators — Previous  to  1790  Pennsylvania  had  no  state  senate. 
In  the  constitution  adopted  in  that  year  provision  was  made  that  "The 
General  Assembly  of  this  Commonwealth  shall  consist  of  a  Senate  and 
House  of  Representatives."  The  constitution  also  fixed  the  senatorial 
districts,  which  were  to  remain  until  the  first  enumeration  of  taxpayers. 
Huntingdon,  Northumberland  and  Luzerne  counties  constituted  a  dis- 
trict. The  list  of  state  senators  who  have  represented  Huntingdon 
county,  or  the  district  of  which  it  has  formed  a  part,   is  as   follows : 

1790,  William  ^Montgomery  (elected  to  Congress  and  William  Hep- 
burn elected  in  1793  to  the  vacancy);  1794,  John  Cannon:  1797, 
Richard  Smith;  1801,  John  Piper;  1805,  Henry  Wertz,  Jr.;  1807, 
Jacob  Blocher;  1808,  Ezra  Doty;  1812,  William  Beale ;  1816,  Alexander 
Dysart;  1820,  Michael  Wallace;  1822,  William  R.  Smith:  1824, 
Christian  Garber;  1828,  Thomas  Jackson:  1832,  George  McCulloch; 
1836,  David  R.  Porter.  (The  constitution  of  1838  changed  the  length 
of  term  to  three  years,  instead  of  four,  and  in  that  year  Robert  P. 
Maclay  was  elected  for  four  years  and  James  M.  Bell  for  two  years)  ; 
1840,  James  Mathers;  1842,  Henry  C.  Eyer;  1844,  John  Morrison; 
1847,  Alexander  King:  1850,  R.  A.  McMurtrie;  1853,  John  Cresswell, 
Jr.;  1857,  William  P.  Schell;  i860,  S.  S.  Wharton:  1863.  George  W. 
Householder:  1864.  L.  W.  Hall  and  Kirk  Haines.  (In  this  year  Hunt- 
ingdon, Blair,  Center,  Mifflin,  Juniata  and  Perry  counties  were  formed 
into  a  senatorial  district  with  two  senators)  ;  1867,  J.  K.  Robinson  and 
C.  J.  T.  Mclntire;  1870,  R.  B.  Petriken  and  D.  M.  Crawford;  1873, 
Joseph  S.  Warren.  ( Blair  and  Perry  counties  taken  from  the  district )  ; 
1874,  Chambers  McKibben;  1876,  Horatio  G.  Fisher;  1880,  John 
Stewart;  1884,  H.  J.  McAtter;  1888,  \\'illiam  M.  Williamson;  1892, 
William  W.  Brewer;  1896,  Henry  C.  Chisholm;  1900,  Alexander 
Stewart;  1904,  Alexander  Stewart;  (a  change  in  the  senatorial  district 
left  Huntingdon  county  without  representation  in  the  senate  and  in 
1906  Chambers  O.  Templeton  was  elected)  ;  1910,  Enos  M.  Jones. 

Rcprcsciitatiz'cs — 1787,     Hugh    Davidson;     1789,    David    Stewart; 

1791,  John  Cannon;  1794,  David  McMurtrie:  1796,  Samuel  Marshall; 
1798,   John   Blair;    1800,   James   Kerr;    1801,   John    Blair  and    James 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  65 

Kerr;  1802.  John  Blair  and  William  Steel;  1803,  Richard  Smith  and 
Lewis  Mytinger;  1804,  Arthur  ]\Ioore  and  James  McCune;  1807, 
Arthur  Moore  and  Alexander  Dysart;  1809,  Alexander  Dysart  and 
William  McAlevy;  1812,  Alexander  Dysart  and  R.  James  Law:  1813, 
R.  James  Law  and  John  Crum;  181 5,  Alexander  Dysart  and  Conrad 
Bucher;  1816,  Conrad  Bucher  and  Christian  Garber;  1818,  Robert 
Young  and  J.  D.  Aurandt ;  1819,  John  Scott  and  David  R.  Porter; 
1821,  John  Scott  and  John  Rover;  1822,  John  Ashman  and  David 
R.  Porter;  1823,  Henry  Shippen  and  Peter  Cassidy;  1824,  Henry 
Shippen  and  John  Ashman;  1825,  Matthew  Wilson  and  Joseph  Adams; 
1826,  Matthew  Wilson  and  John  Blair;  1828,  John  Blair  and  John 
Owens;  1829,  John  Blair  and  Henry  Beaver;  1830.  John  Blair  and 
John  Williamson;  183 1,  John  Porter  and  Henry  Beaver;  1832,  Samuel 
Royer  and  James  Clark;  1833,  James  Clark  and  Thomas  T.  Cromwell; 
1835,  H.  L.  McConnell  and  George  Hudson;  1836,  James  Crawford 
and  J.  Cunningham;  1837,  J.  Cunningham  and  John  Morrison;  1839, 
John  Morrison  and  Joseph  Higgins;  1840,  Joseph  Higgins  and  John 
G.  Miles;  1841,  Jesse  ]\Ioore  and  Thomas  Weston;  1842,  Jonathan 
]McWilliams  and  Brice  Blair;  1844,  Henry  Brewster  and  R.  A.  Mc- 
IMurtrie;  1845,  H.  L.  Patterson  and  Alexander  Gwin;  1846,  David 
Blair;  1848,  A.  K.  Cornyn;  1850,  William  B.  Smith  and  Seth  R. 
McCune;  1852,  S.  S.  \\"harton  and  James  L.  Gwin;  1853,  James  L. 
Gwin  and  James  Maguire;  1854,  George  Leas  and  George  W.  Smith; 
1855,  J.  M.  Gibbony  and  J.  H.  Wintrode;  1857,  Daniel  Houtz;  1858, 
R.  B.  Wigton;  1859,  J.  S.  Africa;  i860,  Brice  X.  Blair;  1861,  John 
Scott;  1862,  A.  W.  Benedict:  1863,  David  Etnier;  1864,  John  N. 
Swoope  and  John  Balsbach;  1865,  Ephraim  Baker  and  James  M. 
Brown;  1866,  James  M.  Brown  and  H.  S.  Wharton;  1867,  H.  S. 
Wharton  and  H.  H.  Wilson:  1868,  John  S.  Aliller  and  Amos  H.  Martin; 
1869,  H.  J.  McAteer  and  Abraham  Rohrer;  1871,  F.  H.  Lane;  1873, 
W.  K.  Burchinell;  1874,  H.  H.  Mateer  and  W.  P.  McNite;  1876, 
Percival  P.  Dewees  and  Alexander  Post;  1878,  Benjamin  R.  Foust  and 
M.  P.  Doyle;  1880,  Alexander  Post  and  Henry  C.  Marshall;  1882, 
Thomas  W.  Myton  and  Thomas  H.  Adams;  1884,  J.  P.  Giles  and  I.  G. 
Boyer;  1886,  j.  Irvin  \Miite  and  George  W.  Owens;  1888,  Perry  M. 
Lytic  and  William  H.  Stevens:  1890,  Perry  M.  Lytle  and  J.  C.  Dunkle; 
1892;  Perry  I\I.   Lytle  and  John  S.  Bare;   1894,  Perry  M.  Lytle  and 


66  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    \-ALLEY 

Thomas  O.  Milliken;  1896,  Perry  M.  Lytle  and  John  S.  Bare;  189S, 
Thomas  O.  Milhken  and  John  S.  Bare;  1900,  John  C.  Taylor  and 
Thomas  W.  Montgomery;  1902.  John  C.  Taylor  and  Thomas  M.  Mont- 
gomery; 1904,  J.  F.  Schock  and  Lewis  M.  Haggerty;  1906,  \^'arren 
B.  Simpson;  1908,  Warren  B.  Simpson;  1910,  Horace  B.  Dunn;  1912, 
Horace  B.  Dunn. 

Representatives  were  elected  annually  until  the  adoption  of  the 
constitution  of  1873,  which  changed  the  legislative  term  from  one  to 
two  years.  In  the  list  the  annual  reelections  are  not  noted.  Where  one 
member  served  more  than  one  term  the  fact  is  shown  by  a  gap  in  the 
years,  as  in  the  case  of  John  Cannon,  who  was  twice  reelected.  When 
Blair  county  was  cut  ofif  in  1846,  Huntingdon  had  but  one  representative 
until  1850,  when  a  district  was  formed  of  the  two  counties  with  two 
members  of  the  assembly.  From  1857  to  1863  the  county  was  repre- 
sented by  one  member,  but  in  1864  a  district  was  formed  of  Huntingdon, 
Mifflin  and  Juniata  counties,  which  was  represented  by  two  members. 
Again  from  1871  to  1873  the  county  had  but  one  representative  and 
since  1906  Huntingdon  has  constituted  a  representative  district  by  itself, 
with  one  member. 

Simryors — This  ofifice  was  established  in  1850,  the  term  being 
fixed  at  three  years.  Following  is  a  list  of  surveyors  since  that  time, 
with  the  year  of  election,  each  one  serving  until  his  successor  was 
elected  and  qualified:  1850,  William  Christy;  1853.  J.  Simpson  Africa; 
1859,  J.  F.  Ramey;  1862,  John  A.  Pollock;  1865,  James  E.  Glasgow; 
1871,  Henry  Wilson;  1877,  William  H.  Booth;  1880,  John  S.  Lytle; 
1886,  John  B.  Ketterman;  1889,  John  E.  Ketterman;  1892,  Henry  H. 
Swoope;  1907,  Charles  T.  Evans  (reelected  in  1910). 

Directors  of  the  Poor — The  act  of  May  6,  1850,  provided  for  a 
poor-house  in  Huntingdon  county  and  named  Thomas  Fisher,  Kenzie 
L.  Green,  Benjamin  Leas,  John  McCulloch,  James  Gillam,  John  Porter, 
Isaac  Taylor,  A.  P.  Wilson,  John  Watson,  Caleb  Greenland  and  S. 
Miles  Green  as  commissioners  to  purchase  a  site.  The  people  were 
authorized  to  vote  at  the  next  regular  election  on  the  question  of  erect- 
ing a  building  and  the  proposition  was  carried  by  a  vote  of  1,299  to 
952.  Under  the  act,  three  directors  were  to  be  elected  in  185 1  and 
one  annually  thereafter  for  a  term  of  three  years.  Elected  in  185 1, 
James  Clarke,  George  Hudson  and  James  Saxton;  1852,  John  Brewster; 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  (>^ 

1853,  Samuel  Mattern;  1854,  J.  A.  Shade;  1855,  Kenzie  L.  Green: 
1856,  Joseph  Gibbony;  1857,  James  Murphy;  1858,  David  Clarkson; 
1859,  WilHam  Moore;  i860,  Samuel  Peightal;  1861,  James  Henderson; 
1862,  Samuel  Heckadorn;  1863,  John  Logan;  1864,  Henry  Davis 
(3  years),  Henry  A.  Mark  (i  year)  ;  1865,  John  Flenner;  1866,  Jack- 
son Harman;  1867,  Adam  Heeter;  1868,  John  Miller;  1869,  James 
Smith;  1870,  John  P.  Stewart;  1871,  Harris  Richardson;  1872,  Michael 
K3-per;  1873,  Gilbert  Horning:  1874,  Aaron  W.  Evans;  1875,  John 
Griffith;  1876,  Daniel  Conrad;  1877,  James  Harper  (3  years),  Richard 
Wills  (2  years),  Michael  Stair;  1S78,  A.  B.  Miller;  1879,  Jacob  Haffly; 
1880,  James  Harper;  1881,  Jacob  H.  Isett:  1882,  Jacob  Haffly;  1883, 
Morris  Gutshall :  1884,  Jacob  H.  Isett;  1885,  James  F.  Thompson; 
1886,  Morris  Gutshall:  1887,  S.  P.  Brumbaugh;  1888,  Samuel  Dickson; 
1889,  Edmund  O.  Heck;  1890,  W.  H.  Henderson;  1891,  Simeon 
Wright  and  Harrison  C.  Crownover;  1892,  Edmund  O.  Heck;  1893. 
George  W.  Taylor;  1894,  Harrison  C.  Crownover;  1895,  David  S- 
Snyder;  1896,  George  W.  Taylor;  1897,  Robert  Mason;  1898,  C.  K. 
Horton;  1899,  John  Madden;  1900,  Robert  Mason;  1901,  C.  K.  Horton; 
1902,  John  Madden;  1903,  George  W.  Hetrick;  1904,  J.  Ouincy  Dill; 
1905,  John  C.  Bare;  1906,  George  W.  Hetrick;  1907,  J.  Ouincy  Dill; 
1908,  John  C.  Bare;  1909,  J.  H.  Myers;  191 1,  J.  R.  Edwards  and  James 
V.  Stevens. 

Jury  Commissioners — 1867,  George  W.  Snontz,  N.  K.  Covert; 
1870.  S.  B.  Chaney,  John  Vandevander;  1873,  Johi^  G.  Stewart, 
Samuel  Brooks  (Air.  Stewart  resigned  and  George  W.  Johnston  was 
appointed  to  the  vacancy  on  January  22,  1874)  ;  1876,  John  X.  Lutz, 
Nicholas  Isenberg;  1879,  Richard  Wills,  Adam  Krugh  (Mr.  Krugh 
left  the  state  in  1881  and  James  Henderson  was  appointed  to  fill  out  the 
remainder  of  the  term);  1882,  Jonathan  Evans,  Henry  Chamberlain; 
1885,  Harris  Richardson,  George  W.  Cresswell;  1888,  George  W. 
Stewart,  Daniel  Swartz;  1891,  William  P.  Liveringhouse,  A.  W.  Jones; 
1894,  William  B.  Zeigler,  F.  JNI.  Bollinger;  1897,  Richard  Cutshall, 
David  F.  Smouse;  1900,  G.  M.  Cutshall.  Luther  Speck;  1903,  T.  W. 
Wood.  Samuel  D.  Bollinger;  1906.  John  A.  Woods,  T.  A.  Miller:  1909, 
Anthony  \\'.  Beaver,  W^  S.  IMiller. 


CHAPTER  V 
HUNTINGDON    COUNTY,    TOWNSHIPS,    BOROUGHS,    ETC. 

Early  Townships — Present  Townships — Brady — Carbon — Cass — Clay — Cromwell — Dub- 
lin —  Franklin  —  Henderson  —  Hopewell  —  Jackson  —  Juniata  —  Lincoln  —  Lo- 
gan —  Miller  —  Morris  —  Oneida  —  Penn  —  Porter  —  Shirley  —  Smithfield  — 
Springfield  —  Spruce  Creek  —  Tell  —  Tod  —  Union  —  Walker  —  Warriors  Jtlark 
— West  —  Wood  —  The  Eighteen  Boroughs  —  Huntingdon  —  Alexandria — Birming- 
ham— Broad  Top  City — Cassville — Coalmont — Dudley — IMapleton — Marklesburg — 
jNIill  Creek — Mount  LTnion — Orbisonia — Petersburg — Rock  Hill — Saltillo — Shade 
Gap — Shirleysburg — Three  Springs — List  of  Postoffices — Rural  Free  Delivery 
Routes. 

T\\'EXTY  years  before  Huntingdon  county  was  erected,  or  in 
July,  1767,  the  Cumberland  county  court  created  a  township 
called  Derry,  "Beginning  at  the  middle  of  the  Long  Narrows; 
thence  up  the  north  side  of  the  Juniata  as  far  as  Jack's  Narrows ;  thence 
to  include  the  valley  of  Kishacokulus  and  Jack's  creek."  These  boun- 
daries included  a  part  of  the  present  township  of  Brady,  in  Huntingdon 
county. 

In  October,  1767,  the  court  erected  five  new  townships — Barree.  Bed- 
ford, Coleraine,  Cumberland  and  Dublin — which,  with  the  township 
of  Derry,  included  all  the  territory  within  the  present  counties  of  Bed- 
ford, Blair  and  Huntingdon,  a  large  part  of  Fulton  and  Alifflin  and 
a  portion  of  Center.  As  population  increased  additional  townships 
were  erected  and  at  the  time  Huntingdon  county  was  organized  in 
1787  there  were  eight  townships  within  its  limits,  viz.:  Barree,  Dublin, 
Frankstown,  Hopewell,  Huntingdon,  Shirley,  Tyrone  and  Woodbury. 
Frankstown  and  Woodbury  were  cut  off  in  1846  as  part  of  Blair  county, 
and  the  six  original  townships  lying  within  the  present  limits  of  the 
county  have  been  divided  and  subdivided  until  the  number  is  now  thirty. 
In  making  these  divisions  and  subdivisions  the  townships  of  Huntingdon 
and  Tyrone  have  entirely  disappeared.  The  present  townships  are: 
Barree,  Brady,  Carbon,  Cass,  Clay,  Cromwell,  Dublin,  Franklin,  Hen- 

68 


COURTHOUSE.  HU.NTIXt'.UON. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  69 

derson,  Hopewell,  Jackson,  Juniata,  Lincoln,  Logan,  Miller,  Morris, 
Oneida,  Penn.  Porter,  Shirley,  Smithfield,  Springfield,  Spruce  Creek, 
Tell,  Tod,  L'nion,  Walker,  Warriors  Mark,  West  and  Wood. 

Barree  township,  as  created  in  1767,  was  "Bounded  by  Dublin, 
Coleraine  and  Bedford  townships,  as  already  mentioned,  and  along  the 
Allegheny  until  a  line  struck  from  thence  to  Jack's  Mountain  so  as 
to  include  the  waters  of  Little  Juniata  and  Shaver's  and  Standing 
Stone  creeks."  In  1771,  when  Bedford  county  was  erected,  Barree 
township  included  all  that  part  of  the  present  county  of  Huntingdon 
lying  northwest  of  Jack's  mountain.  Since  then  the  townships  of  Jack- 
son and  West  and  parts  of  Logan,  Oneida  and  Miller  have  been  taken 
from  Barree.  Before  the  erection  of  Logan  and  Miller  townships, 
Barree  had  an  average  width  of  four  miles,  extending  from  Jackson 
and  W^est  to  Oneida,  and  in  length  from  ten  to  twelve  miles,  from  the 
summit  of  Standing  Stone  mountain  and  the  Mifflin  county  line  on 
the  southeast  to  the  Center  county  line  and  the  summit  of  Tussey's 
mountain  on  the  northwest.  Warrior's  ridge  crosses  it  east  and  south 
of  the  center.  On  one  side  of  this  ridge  runs  the  Standing  Stone  creek 
and  on  the  other  Shaver's  creek.  One  of  the  first  land  warrants  in 
the  township  was  issued  on  what  was  known  as  the  "Shaver's  Creek 
Manor.'"     The  warrant  bears  date  of  October  30,  1760. 

Brady  township  was  erected  in  April,  1846,  from  part  of  Henderson. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  northeast  and  southeast  by  Mifflin  county;  south 
and  southwest  by  Union  township ;  west  by  Henderson,  and  northwest 
by  Henderson  and  Barree.  Jack's  mountain  on  the  east  and  Standing 
Stone  mountain  in  the  center  are  the  principal  elevations.  The  town- 
ship was  named  for  General  Hugh  Brady,  a  distinguished  officer  in  the 
United  States  army,  who  is  said  to  have  been  born  in  the  old  Standing 
Stone  fort  at  Huntingdon.  Prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war  several 
members  of  the  Brady  family  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Huntingdon.  One 
of  these  was  the  father  of  Captain  Samuel  Brady,  the  famous  scout 
and  spy.  Among  the  early  settlers  were  Lewis  Metz,  Christian  Yoder, 
Caleb  Armitage,  the  Eatons,  Loudenslagers,  Vandevanders  and  Priden- 
sons.  Some  of  the  descendants  of  these  pioneers  still  reside  in  the 
county.  Mill  Creek  is  the  principal  town  in  Brady  township.  On  the 
stream  of  that  name  there  was  formerly  a  blast  furnace,  known  as 
Mill  Creek   furnace,  and  in  the  southern  part  of  the  township,  near 


•JO  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXL-VTA    VALLEY 

the  end  of  Standing  Stone  mountain  are  deposits  of  sand  which  is 
crushed  by  steam  power  and  shipped  to  Pittsburgh  and  other  glass 
manufacturing  centers. 

Carbon  township,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  hes  chiefly 
upon  the  Broad  Top  mountain  and  derives  its  name  from  the  coal 
deposits  in  that  section.  It  was  erected  on  April  2t^.  1858,  from  part 
of  Tod,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Tod  township;  east  by  Wood; 
south  and  southwest  by  Fulton  and  Bedford  counties,  and  on  the 
northwest  by  Hopewell  township.  Among  the  pioneers  were  Anthony 
Cook,  Philip  Barnet,  James  Crawford,  Henry  Houpt,  Walter  Clark  and 
Henry  Miller.  During  the  Revolution  some  Tory  refugees  came  into 
the  township,  a  few  of  whom  became  permanent  residents.  A  large 
part  of  the  Broad  Top  coal  field  lies  within  the  township  and  coal 
mining  is  the  leading  occupation  of  the  inhabitants.  The  old  Barnet 
mine  was  opened  in  1856  by  Dorris,  Burroughs  &  Company.  Some 
twenty  years  later  it  was  closed,  but  was  reopened  in  1882.  The  Pros- 
pect mine  was  opened  in  1857  and  about  1863  was  purchased  by  Robert 
H.  Powel,  who  erected  coke  ovens  there.  In  1858  the  Clift  mine  was 
opened  and  the  following  year  witnessed  the  opening  of  the  Broad  Top 
collieries.  The  Mooredale  mine,  about  one  mile  from  Dudley,  was 
opened  abotit  i860  by  Paul  Ammerman,  but  it  was  abandoned  in  1862 
on  account  of  water.  It  was  purchased  by  Reakert  Brothers  in  1876 
and  reopened.  The  Fisher  mine  was  opened  in  1870;  the  Carbon 
colliery  in  1872;  the  Ocean  mine  in  1879.  The  Robertsdale  collieries, 
operated  by  the  Rockhill  Iron  and  Coal  Company,  are  among  the  leading 
mines  of  Huntingdon  county.  There  are  three  boroughs  in  the  town- 
ship. Broad  Top  City,  Coalmont  and  Dudley,  the  last  named  being  the 
terminus  of  a  branch  of  the  Huntingdon  &  Broad  Top  railroad.  Bar- 
nett.  Cooks,  Powelton  and  Robertsdale  are  mining  towns. 

Cass  township,  erected  on  January  21,  1843,  from  part  of  L'nion, 
was  named  for  General  Lewis  Cass,  who  at  that  time  Avas  a  conspicuous 
figure  in  the  political  arena.  It  is  situated  in  the  Trough  creek  valley 
and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  townships  of  Penn  and  L'nion;  on 
the  east  by  Shirley  and  Cromwell;  on  the  south  by  Clay,  and  on  the 
west  and  southwest  by  Tod.  The  first  settlers  came  from  ^laryland, 
but  the  date  when  the  first  settlement  was  founded  is  not  known. 
Among  the  pioneers  were  Peter  Thompson,  Richard  Dowling,  Jacob 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  71 

Dean,  Philip  Ciirfman,  ]Moses  Greenland,  and  the  Smith,  Lovell,  Greene, 
Chilcott  and  Stever  families.  The  Corbins,  Lilleys,  McClains,  Drennans, 
Caldwells,  Brownings  and  a  few  other  families  located  in  the  Trough 
creek  valley  soon  after  the  Revolution  and  James  Campbell,  John 
Shields,  William  Wright,  Henry  Freed  and  a  few  others  settled  in 
Hare's  valley  about  the  same  time.  Cassville  is  the  only  borough  in  the 
township  and  there  are  no  villages  of  importance.  Agriculture  is  the 
leading  industry. 

Clay  township  was  erected  on  April  15,  1845,  'f^'O"''  Springfield, 
and  was  named  for  Henry  Clay,  of  Kentucky,  who  was  the  Whig  candi- 
date for  president  in  1844.  It  is  bounded  on  the  northeast  by  Cass 
and  Cromwell ;  on  the  southeast  by  Springfield ;  on  the  south  and  south- 
west by  Fulton  county,  and  on  the  northwest  by  Wood  and  Tod  town- 
ships. Benjamin  Long,  Henry  Hubbell,  George,  John  and  William 
Hudson,  Thomas  Green,  George  Ashman.  John  Kyler,  William  and 
]\Iiles  Bunn,  Thomas  Hooper,  Richard  Bradley  and  some  others  had 
located  in  what  is  now  Clay  township  before  the  close  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  The  boroughs  of  Saltillo  and  Three  Springs  are  located  in 
this  township  and  there  are  a  few  villages  of  minor  importance.  The 
East  Broad  Top  railroad  crosses  the  northern  portion,  passing  through 
Saltillo  and  Three  Springs. 

Cromwell  township  was  taken  from  the  townships  of  Shirley  and 
Springfield  and  was  organized  in  January,  1836.  It  was  named  for 
Thomas  T.  Cromwell,  who  was  one  of  the  early  manufacturers  of  iron 
in  Huntingdon  county,  and  who  served  two  terms  in  the  lower  house  of 
the  state  legislature.  On  the  north  it  is  bounded  by  Shirley  township; 
on  the  east  by  Shade  mountain,  which  separates  it  from  Dublin  and 
Tell  townships ;  on  the  south  by  Clay  and  Springfield,  and  on  the  west 
by  Jack's  mountain,  which  marks  the  line  between  it  and  Cass  township. 
The  principal  stream  is  the  Aughwick  creek,  which  flows  through  the 
township  from  south  to  north.  One  of  the  first  white  men  to  locate 
in  the  township  was  George  Irvin,  who,  as  early  as  1760,  had  a  log  store 
near  where  Orbisonia  now  stands  and  was  engaged  in  trading  with 
the  Indians.  The  Cluggage  family  came  soon  after  Irvin  and  Captain 
Robert  Cluggage  served  with  distinction  in  the  Continental  army  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  The  first  iron  furnace  west  of  the  Susquehanna 
river  was  built  here  by  Colonel  Cromwell  and  George  Ashman  in  1785. 


72  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXL\TA    VALLEY 

The  Rockhill  furnace  began  operations  in  1831.  Two  boroughs — 
Orbisonia  and  Rockhill — are  located  in  the  township,  both  on  the  line 
of  the  East  Broad  Top  railway,  and  there  are  several  small  villages. 
Cromwell  township  is  not  without  its  stor_v  of  hidden  treasure.  For 
many  3'ears  the  rumor  has  been  current  that  Captain  Jack,  the  eccentric 
character  mentioned  in  another  chapter,  was  once  closely  pursued  by 
Indians  at  a  time  when  he  bore  a  heavy  bag  of  gold  and  silver.  This 
bag  encumbered  his  flight  and  he  secreted  it  on  the  side  of  the  Black 
Log  mountain,  not  far  from  the  narrows.  Despite  repeated  efforts, 
the  treasure  has  never  been  found. 

Dublin  township,  one  of  the  original  six  townships  within  the  present 
limits  of  the  county,  was  erected  in  October,  1767.  The  Cumberland 
county  court  records  for  that  session  describe  it  as  "Bounded  by  Air 
and  Fannet  townships  on  the  one  side,  and  Coleraine  and  Barre  town- 
ships on  the  top  of  Sideling  Hill  on  the  other  side."  Its  original  area 
has  been  much  reduced  by  the  erection  of  Tell  and  Springfield  town- 
ships, both  of  which  were  taken  from  Dublin.  It  is  situated  in  the 
extreme  southeastern  corner  of  the  county  and  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Tell  township :  on  the  east  by  the  Tuscarora  mountain,  which  separ- 
ates it  from  Franklin  county ;  on  the  south  by  Fulton  county,  and  on 
the  west  by  Springfield  and  Cromwell  townships,  from  which  it  is 
separated  by  Shade  mountain.  The  Indian  trail,  over  which  early 
traders  and  explorers  traveled,  passed  through  this  township.  Among 
the  early  adventurers  to  follow  this  route  were  Conrad  Weiser  and 
George  Croghan  in  1748  and  John  Harris  in  1754.  A  few  land  war- 
rants, dated  prior  to  the  Revolution,  indicate  that  white  men  had 
found  a  lodgment  there,  but  little  is  known  of  the  settlers  of  that 
period.  About  1765  Alexander  Blair  and  his  wife  Rachel  came  from 
Chester  county  and  bought  a  part  of  the  tract  of  land  warranted  to 
George  Croghan  near  Shade  Gap.  Their  son,  John  Blair,  subsequently 
became  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  township,  holding  the  office  of  justice 
of  the  peace  for  many  years.  David  Cree  brought  his  family  from 
Philadelphia  about  1773.  John  Walker  and  James  McCardle  located 
near  the  foot  of  the  Tuscarora  mountain  about  the  same  time.  During 
the  decade  following  1780  the  number  of  settlers  increased  rapidly. 
In  1782  George  Hudson  located  about  where  the  borough  of  Shade 
Gap  is  now,  built  a  cabin  and  began  purchasing  some  squatter  claims  for 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  73 

which  no  warrants  had  been  issued.  He  was  soon  followed  by  William 
Swan,  Hugh  Robinson,  Alexander  McIIroy,  George  Wagner,  Andrew 
Sands,  James,  Jonathan  and  Robert  Cree,  James  Hooper,  James  Morton, 
William  Fleming,  Robert  and  \\'illiam  Marshall  and  some  others. 
Joshua  Morgan,  of  the  Black  Log  valley  is  said  to  have  been  the  first 
man  to  drive  a  team  through  Shade  Gap. 

Franklin  township  was  erected  in  March,  1789,  from  the  old  town-, 
ship  of  Tyrone,  and  was  the  first  new  township  to  be  established  after 
the  organization  of  Huntingdon  county.  It  extends  from  the  Center 
county  line  on  the  northeast  to  the  Little  Juniata  river  on  the  south- 
west, and  from  Warriors  Mark  township  on  the  northwest  to  the 
summit  of  Tussey's  mountain  on  the  southeast.  Among  the  early 
settlers  were  Alexander  Ewing,  Zephaniah  Weakland,  George  Mattern, 
Jacob  Miner,  Abraham  Sells,  Richard  Ricketts,  James  Hunter,  James 
Armitage  and  the  Hendersons.  The  township  has  rich  deposits  of  iron 
ore,  which  were  first  worked  about  1795  or  1796,  when  the  Huntingdon 
furnace  was  built  in  the  midst  of  the  ore  beds  and  the  Pennsylvania 
furnace  in  the  northern  part  of  the  township,  near  the  Center  county 
line.  Spruce  creek  rises  in  this  township  and  flows  almost  the  entire 
length  of  it,  emptying  into  the  Little  Juniata.  The  water  power  of  this 
stream  was  utilized  as  early  as  1785  to  run  what  was  long  known  as  the 
old  Bebault  mill,  llany  years  later  W.  D.  &  J.  D.  Isett  established 
the  Stockdale  Woolen  Mills  at  the  uKiuth  of  the  stream  and  about  a 
mile  farther  up  J.  O.  Adams  started  an  ax  factory.  Franklinville  and 
Graysville  are  the  principal  villages. 

Henderson  township,  established  in  November,  18 14,  was  formed 
from  part  of  old  Huntingdon  township,  which  was  one  of  the  six  in 
existence  when  the  county  was  erected.  It  was  named  for  General 
Andrew  Henderson,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  the  first  register  and 
recorder  and  the  second  prothonotary  of  the  county.  The  original  area 
of  Henderson  township  has  been  greatly  reduced  by  the  erection  of 
Brady,  in  1846,  and  of  Oneida  in  1856.  It  is  bounded  on  the  northwest 
by  Oneida  township:  on  the  northeast  i)y  Barree;  on  the  east  by 
Brady;  extends  southwest  to  the  Juniata  river,  and  adjoins  the  borough 
of  Huntingdon.  Among  the  early  settlers  was  John  Fee,  who  served 
in  Captain  Blair's  company  that  was  organized  during  the  Revolution  to 
drive  out  the  Tories.     Other  early  settlers  were  \\'illiam  Porter,  John 


74  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Brown.  Matthew  Campbell  and  the  Hight  family.  Gorsuch  and  L^nion 
Church,  near  the  center  of  the  township,  and  Ardenheim,  a  small  station 
on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  two  miles  east  of  Huntingdon,  are  the 
only  villages  of  consequence. 

Hopewell  township  was  erected  in  July,  1773,  when  the  Bedford 
county  court  ordered  that  "that  part  of  Barre  township  including  all 
the  waters  that  empty  into  the  Raystown  Branch  of  Juniata  below  the 
mouth  of  Yellow  Creek  and  up  said  creek  to  Tussey's  Mountain  is 
hereby  erected  into  a  township  by  the  name  of  Hopewell  township." 
It  was  therefore  one  of  the  six  original  townships  when  the  county  was 
erected  in  1787.  Union  township  was  taken  from  it  in  1791 ;  Penn  in 
1846.  and  Lincoln  in  1866.  These  curtailments  have  left  it  one  of  the 
smallest  townships  in  the  county.  It  is  located  in  the  southwest  corner 
and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Lincoln  township :  southeast  by  Tod 
and  Carbon,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  Terrace  mountain ;  southwest 
by  Bedford  county,  and  northwest  by  the  county  of  Blair.  The  Hunt- 
ingdon &  Broad  Top  railroad  traverses  it  from  northeast  to  southwest 
and  the  Raystown  branch  of  the  Juniata  follows  the  same  general  direc- 
tion. The  earliest  settlers,  of  whom  there  is  any  record,  were  Jeremiah 
and  William  Smart,  ]\Iicliael  Diamond,  George  Elder  and  his  sons, 
Michael  and  Felix  Skelly,  Jacob  Weaver  and  George  Russell,  who  en- 
tered lands  along  the  Raystown  branch. 

Jackson  township,  taken  from  Barree  on  January  15,  1845,  occupies 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  county.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Center  county :  on  the  east  and  southeast  by  Mifflin  county ;  on  the 
west  and  southwest  by  the  township  of  Barree.  It  was  named  for 
Joseph  Jackson,  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  that  part  of  the  county, 
several  members  of  the  Jackson  family  settling  there  about  the  same 
time.  Another  noted  pioneer  was  William  McAlevy,  who  won  renown 
as  a  soldier  and  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  later  achieved  a 
rather  unenviable  notoriety  by  leading  the  rebellion  against  the  United 
States  constitution.  He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  stock,  brave,  resolute  and 
faithful  to  his  friends.  He  married  a  sister  of  John  Harris,  the  founder 
of  Harrisburg.  In  1770  he  came  to  what  is  now  Jackson  township, 
selected  a  location,  made  a  canoe  and  paddled  down  the  Standing  Stone 
•creek  and  the  Juniata  and  Susquehanna  rivers  to  Harrisburg  for  his 
family  and  such  of  his  household  effects  as  he  could  carry  in  his  light 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  75 

craft.  He  acquired  a  large  tract  of  land  around  McAlevy's  Fort,  a 
place  which  still  bears  his  name.  Joseph  Oburn,  who  served  in  Mc- 
Alevy's company  during  the  Revolution,  was  another  early  settler. 
Others  who  located  there  either  before  or  during  the  Revolutionary 
war  were  the  Cummins  family  and  John  Oaks.  Agriculture  was  the 
chief  occupation  of  the  old  settlers,  their  farms  being  located  in  the 
valleys  of  the  two  branches  of  Standing  Stone  creek.  The  manufacture 
of  iron  was  begun  in  1S33,  when  Patton  &  Norris  built  the  Greenwood 
furnace,  which  subsequently  passed  to  the  Logan  Iron  and  Steel  Com- 
pany. The  jMitchells  erected  a  small  furnace  about  a  mile  north  of 
McAlevy's  Fort  in  1841,  but  it  proved  to  be  an  unprofitable  venture  and 
was  abandoned.  About  1870  a  charter  was  granted  for  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Stone  Creek  &  McAlevy's  Fort  railroad,  but  the  panic  of 
1873  came  on  before  anything  had  been  done  and  the  road  was  never 
built. 

Juniata  township,  erected  on  November  19,  1856.  was  originally  a 
part  of  Huntingdon  township,  though  at  the  time  of  its  erection  its 
territory  was  taken  from  the  township  of  Walker.  It  is  bounded  on 
the  northeast  by  Henderson  township ;  on  the  southeast  by  Terrace 
mountain,  which  separates  it  from  Union :  southwest  by  Penn.  and  on 
the  northwest  by  ^^'alker.  the  summit  of  Piney  ridge  forming  the 
northwestern  boundary.  One  of  the  early  settlers  in  this  township  was 
the  father  of  Captain  Samuel  Brady,  the  noted  scout  and  Indian  fighter, 
who  located  at  the  mouth  of  Vineyard  creek.  William  Corbin,  Caleb 
and  Amos  Folk,  William  Enyeart  and  William  Dean  were  likewise 
early  settlers.  The  township,  at  the  time  it  was  settled,  was  covered 
with  a  heavy  growth  of  valuable  timber,  but  this  has  nearly  all  dis- 
appeared. Large  quantities  of  lumber,  tan-bark  and  railroad  ties  have 
been  taken  from  the  township  and  farming  is  now  the  leading  occu- 
pation. 

Lincoln  township,  named  in  honor  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  mar- 
tyred president  of  the  United  States,  is  situated  in  the  southwestern 
part  of  the  county  and  was  taken  from  Hopewell  on  August  18,  1866. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  northwest  by  Blair  county;  on  the  northeast  by 
Penn  township ;  on  the  southeast  by  Tod,  and  on  the  south  by  Hopewell. 
The  Raystown  branch  of  the  Juniata  flows  northward  through  the 
township,  its  principal  tributary  being  Coffee  run.     The  earliest  settlers 


76  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

in  that  part  of  Hopewell  township  now  comprising  Lincoln  were  John 
Plummer.  Henry  Schultz,  John  Keith,  James  Entriken  and  a  man  named 
Summers.  Tanneries  were  established  at  an  early  date  on  Coffee  run, 
on  the  Bedford  road,  and  about  a  mile  north  of  the  present  town  of 
Marklesburg,  which  is  the  only  borough  in  the  township. 

Logan  township  was  taken  from  West  in  April,  1878.  As  early  as 
1755  Barnabas  Barnes  secured  a  land  warrant  for  a  tract  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Juniata  river  at  a  place  called  Two  Springs.  In  1768  he  sold 
that  land  to  Rev.  William  Smith,  the  founder  of  Huntingdon.  There  is 
nothing  to  show  that  Barnes  ever  occupied  the  tract  and  the  probabilities 
are  he  entered  it  purely  for  speculative  purposes.  Among  the  early 
settlers  in  this  part  of  West  township  were  Samuel  Anderson,  Jacob 
Neff,  John  Reed,  Jacob  Hiltzheimer,  Charles  Elliott,  Hugh  :\Iears,  Peter 
Shoenberger,  Bartholomew  ]\Iaguire  and  the  Wilsons.  The  first  settle- 
ments were  made  along  the  Little  Juniata  or  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
Shaver's  creek  valley.  When  West  township  was  divided  to  form 
Logan,  the  borough  of  Petersburg  was  thrown  in  the  new  township  and 
it  is  the  most  important  shipping  and  commercial  point. 

Miller  township  was  formed  in  May,  1881,  from  part  of  Barree.  As 
earlv  as  1857  a  movement  was  started  for  the  formation  of  a  new 
township  south  of  Warrior's  ridge.  On  November  i,  1859,  the  question 
was  submitted  to  the  voters  living  in  the  territory  south  of  the  ridge, 
but  a  majoritv  expressed  themselves  as  opposed  to  the  erection  of  a 
new  township.  The  agitation  was  kept  up,  however,  until  a  majority 
was  converted  and  the  township  was  organized  in  188 1.  The  pioneer 
history  of  this  section  of  the  county  is  rather  meager.  Matthew  Miller, 
for  whom  the  township  was  named,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers.  Gil- 
bert Chaney  settled  on  \\'arrior's  ridge  at  an  early  date.  John  Coy 
and  the  Cunningham  family  were  also  among  the  pioneers. 

Morris  township,  one  of  the  smallest  in  the  county,  was  taken  from 
Tvrone  in  August,  1794,  and  with  its  erection  the  township  of  Tyrone 
ceased  to  exist.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Franklin  township,  from 
which  it  is  separated  by  the  Little  Juniata  river ;  on  the  east  by  Tussey's 
mountain,  which  separates  it  from  Porter:  the  other  boundaries  are 
formed  by  the  Frankstown  branch  of  the  Juniata,  Fox  run  and  Canoe 
mountain,  which  separate  the  township  from  Blair  county.  The  greater 
part  of  the  township  is  the  elevated  plateau  known  as  Canoe  valley.    The 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  yj 

soil  is  fertile  and  agriculture  is  the  principal  industry.  Edward  Beatty 
and  his  eight  sons,  John  Tussey,  for  whom  Tussey's  mountain  was 
named,  Michael  Wallace,  John  Bell,  Ciiristian  Harnish,  John  Martin, 
William  Davis  and  John  Fergus  were  the  first  settlers.  In  1796,  two 
years  after  the  township  was  organized,  there  were  fifty-nine  land 
owners  on  the  tax  lists.  About  1793  a  furnace  was  built  by  Jacob  Isett 
where  the  village  of  Union  Furnace  now  stands,  but  the  dam  was 
washed  away  soon  after  and  nothing  further  was  done  until  1810,  when 
it  was  rebuilt  by  Dorsey  &  Evans.  It  was  a  charcoal  furnace,  with  a 
capacity  of  thirty-five  tons  weekly,  and  continued  in  operation  until 
1852. 

Oneida  township  was  erected  on  August  20,  1856,  from  Henderson 
and  West.  It  is  a  small  township  adjoining  the  borough  of  Huntingdon, 
the  Juniata  river  forming  its  western  border.  It  was  named  for  the 
Oneida  Indians.  The  Standing  Stone  creek  flows  through  it  from  one 
end  to  the  other,  a  distance  of  about  ten  miles,  between  the  Standing 
Stone  mountain  and  Warrior's  ridge.  There  are  some  fine  farms  in  the 
valley,  whose  products  find  a  ready  market  at  Huntingdon.  Nathan 
Gorsuch,  William  Carter,  John  Stewart,  Joshua  Kelley,  William 
Wheeler,  Jacob  \A'hite,  Elisha  Green  and  Nicholas  Decker  were  the  first 
settlers.  While  the  Pennsylvania  canal  was  under  construction  a  great 
deal  of  timber  was  supplied  from  what  is  now  Oneida  township.  The 
first  packet-boat — the  Lady  of  the  Lake — that  ever  plied  the  waters  of 
the  canal  was  built  at  William  Foster's  saw  mill.  After  the  supply  of 
timber  was  exhausted  the  people  turned  their  attention  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  soil,  and  agriculture  is  now  the  leading  occupation  of  the 
inhabitants. 

Penn  township  was  created  on  November  21,  1846,  when  the  old 
township  of  Hopewell  was  divided  into  two  nearly  equal  parts  and  the 
northern  part  named  Penn,  in  honor  of  the  founder  of  Pennsylvania. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Walker  and  Juniata  townships ;  on  the 
east  by  Union,  Cass  and  Tod ;  on  the  south  by  Lincoln,  and  on  the  west 
by  Blair  county.  It  extends  from  Terrace  mountain  on  the  east  to  Tus- 
sey's mountain  on  the  west,  about  eight  miles,  and  it  is  about  si.x  miles 
in  e.xtent  from  north  to  south.  The  surface  is  broken  by  numerous 
ridges,  the  most  important  of  which  are  the  Mulberry,  Warrior's,  Piney, 
and  Allegrippus.     Along  these  ridges  are   found  rich  deposits  of  iron 


78  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    \'ALLEY 

ores  and  thousands  of  tons  of  ore  have  been  shipped  to  Johnstown,  Dan- 
ville and  other  iron  manufacturing  centers.  Some  lead  ore  has  been 
found  in  Warrior's  ridge,  but  not  in  sufficient  quantities  to  make  min- 
ing profitable.  In  the  Woodcock  valley,  which  lies  between  \\'arrior's 
ridge  and  Tussey's  mountain,  the  valley  of  the  Raystown  branch,  which 
runs  along  the  base  of  Terrace  mountain,  and  in  most  of  the  smaller 
valleys  the  soil  is  fertile  and  farming  is  here  carried  on  successfully. 
A  list  of  the  early  settlers  would  include  the  names  of  Hartsock,  Bishop, 
Kough,  Hart,  Owens,  Graffius,  Fleck,  ]\lc]ilath,  Keith,  and  Brecken- 
ridge.  Michael  Garner  came  from  Maryland  in  1789  and  about  five 
years  later  purchased  a  part  of  the  tract  known  as  "Penn's  Manor," 
in  the  Woodcock  valley.  Some  of  his  descendants  still  live  in  the  town- 
ship. Thomas  Wilson,  Jacob  Brumbaugh.  Ludwig  Hoover,  Jacob 
Grove,  John  and  Peter  Beightell.  Adam  Auman,  John,  Adam,  Henry 
and  Jacob  Boyer  and  some  others  had  located  within  the  limits  of  the 
township  before  the  year  1800.  Marklesburg  is  the  only  borough  and 
there  are  but  few  villages. 

Porter  township  was  erected  in  November,  1814.  when  the  old 
township  of  Huntingdon  was  divided  into  two  new  ones — Porter  and 
Henderson.  It  was  named  for  General  Andrew  Porter,  an  officer  in 
the  American  army  during  the  Revolutionary  war  and  afterward  sur- 
veyor-general. The  original  area  of  this  township  has  been  much  re- 
duced by  the  formation  of  Walker  township  in  1827  and  Smithfield 
in  1886.  A  portion  of  it  was  also  taken  to  form  the  township  of  Spruce 
Creek  in  1895.  The  old  Indian  path  passed  through  this  section  of 
the  county  and  Porter  township  was  one  of  the  first  to  be  settled,  the 
first  land  warrants  being  dated  in  1755.  the  year  following  the  pur- 
chase of  the  land  from  the  Indians.  The  first  settlements  were  made 
in  the  vicinity  of  Alexandria. 

Shirley  township,  one  of  the  original  six,  is  located  in  the  south- 
eastern part  and  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  county,  extending  from  the 
Juniata  river  to  the  Cromwell  township  line,  and  from  Shade  mountain 
on  the  southeast  to  Jack's  mountain  on  the  northwest.  Between  those 
two  ranges  are  the  Black  Log  mountain.  Blue.  Sandy,  Owens',  Chestnut 
and  Stony  ridges,  so  that  the  general  surface  is  alternatively  hill  and 
valley.  Iron  ore  is  mined  in  the  hills  and  farming  is  carried  on  in  the 
valleys.     The  township  derives  its  name  from  old  Fort  Shirley,  which 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  79 

was  erected  at  the  time  of  the  French  and  Indian  war.  Among  the 
early  settlers  were  the  Galbraiths,  who  located  in  the  Germany  valley; 
the  Warners,  who  settled  where  the  borough  of  Shirleysburg  now 
stands ;  the  Matthews  family,  who  settled  farther  south,  and  the  Davis, 
Morgan,  Cluggage,  and  Sharrer  families.  Two  powder  mills  were 
operated  a  century  or  more  ago  by  the  Sharrers — one  near  Shirleys- 
burg and  the  other  on  Sugar  run.  Samuel  Drake,  an  Englishman,  said 
to  be  a  descendant  of  Sir  Francis  Drake,  established  a  ferry  across  the 
Juniata  a  short  distance  above  Mount  L^nion,  on  the  pathway  from 
eastern  points  to  the  Ohio  river,  and  Drake's  Ferry  was  an  important 
land-mark  for  many  years.  The  East  Broad  Top  railroad  connects 
with  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  at  Mount  L'nion  and  runs  south  through 
Shirleysburg,  giving  the  township  and  outlj-ing  region  ample  transporta- 
tion facilities. 

Smithfield  is  one  of  the  newer  townships  of  the  county,  having 
been  organized  in  March,  18S6,  from  Porter,  Walker,  and  Juniata.  It 
lies  directly  across  the  Juniata  river  from  Huntingdon  borough,  the 
village  of  Smithfield  forming  practically  a  suburb  of  the  county  seat. 
The  Huntingdon  &  Broad  Top  railroad  runs  southwest  through  the 
township. 

Springfield  township,  located  in  the  southern  part  of  the  countv,  was 
organized  in  December,  1790,  from  the  townships  of  Dublin  and  Shir- 
ley. Its  original  area  has  been  much  reduced  by  the  erection  of  Crom- 
well in  1836  and  Clay  in  1845.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Cromwell; 
on  the  east  by  Dublin ;  on  the  south  by  Fulton  county,  and  on  the  west 
by  the  township  of  Clay.  John  Bailey,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  settled 
on  the  banks  of  the  Aughwick  creek  soon  after  that  war.  He  was 
soon  joined  by  \^'illiam  Jones,  John  Robertson  and  ^^"illiam  Ward. 
Then  came  a  tide  of  immigration  from  Maryland,  the  Browns,  Mad- 
dens, Ramseys,  Lanes,  Cutshalls,  Wibles,  and  several  other  families 
locating  in  what  is  now  Springfield  township.  Thomas  Stains  settled 
where  the  village  of  Meadow  Gap  is  now,  and  the  village  of  Maddens- 
ville  bears  the  name  of  one  of  these  pioneer  families. 

Spruce  Creek  township,  the  3'oungest,  but  one  in  the  county,  was 
erected  in  September,  1895,  from  the  townships  of  Morris,  Franklin 
and  Porter.  It  takes  its  name  from  the  stream  which  empties  into 
the  Juniata   river  opposite   the  village   of    Spruce   Creek.      The   early 


8o  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

histor)^  of  this  township  is  inckided  in  the  sketches  of  those  from  which 
it  was  taken. 

Tell,  one  of  the  southeastern  border  townships,  was  erected  in  April, 
1810,  its  territory  being  taken  from  Dublin  township.  It  lies  between 
the  Tuscarora  and  Shade  mountains  and  its  surface  is  divided  into 
several  small  valleys  by  parallel  ridges  running  from  northeast  to  south- 
west. Although  a  populous  township  there  are  no  boroughs  within  its 
limits  and  only  a  few  small  villages.  The  first  land  warrant  was  issued 
to  Barnabas  Barnes  on  February  3,  1775.  Among  the  early  settlers 
were  Samuel  ]\IcMath,  Robert  Vaughan,  James  Stonkard,  Thomas 
Morrow  and  Jacob  Goshorn,  all  of  whom  were  located  in  the  Shade 
valley  by  1780.  Between  that  time  and  the  year  1800  came  the  Sharps, 
Wilsons,  Chilcotts  and  the  Cisney,  Waters  and  Parsons  families  some 
of  whose  descendants  still  live  in  the  township.  Tell  township  is  an 
agricultural  community  without  a  railroad,  the  nearest  stations  being 
Orbisonia  and  Shirleysburg  on  the  line  of  the  East  Broad  Top  railway. 

Tod  township  was  formed  from  L'nion  in  April,  1838.  It  is  located 
in  the  Trough  creek  valley  and  is  bounded  as  follows :  On  the  north- 
east by  Penn  and  Cass  townships ;  on  the  southeast  by  Cass  and  Clay ; 
on  the  southwest  by  Wood  and  Carbon,  and  on  the  northwest  by  Hope- 
well and  Lincoln.  Nearly  all  the  pioneers  came  from  Maryland.  About 
1760  John  Plummer  settled  in  the  Trough  creek  valley.  On  September 
20,  1762,  Colonel  Henry  Bouquet  received  four  warrants  for  lands  in 
that  locality  and  in  August,  1767,  four  tracts,  aggregating  nearly  1,500 
acres,  were  surveyed  for  him  by  Richard  Tea  near  the  base  of  Broad 
Top  mountain.  John  Edwards  came  in  1785.  Jacob  Houck  in  1786, 
Michael  and  William  Houck  in  1787,  John  Taylor  and  others  in  1795. 
Walter  Hudson  built  a  log  mill  on  Trough  creek  some  time  between 
1790  and  1800,  the  first  in  the  township.  Paradise  furnace  and  Eagle 
foundry  were  both  located  in  this  township,  but  they  ceased  operations 
long  since. 

Union  township  was  taken  from  Hopewell  in  June,  1791.  Before 
the  erection  of  Cass  and  Tod  townships  it  included  nearly  all  of  the 
Trough  creek  valley,  extending  from  the  Juniata  river  on  the  north  to 
the  Broad  Top  mountain  on  the  south,  and  from  Jack's  mountain  on 
the  east  to  Terrace  mountain  on  the  west.  Settlements  were  made 
some   years    before    the    township   was    organized.      John    Shoop    (or 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY  8i 

Shoiip),  John  Loughrey,  Henry  Freed,  Jacob  Miller  and  Henry  Dell 
located  in  Hare's  valley;  Hughey  Johnson,  Levi  and  Eliel  Smith,  Asa 
Corbin  and  some  others  settled  in  Smith's  valley;  Richard  Chilcott, 
John  Wright,  William  Estep,  James  Estep,  the  Deans  and  Biimgart- 
ners  established  themselves  in  the  Trough  creek  valley.  The  borough 
of  Mapleton  is  located  in  this  township  and  there  are  a  few  small  vil- 
lages within  its  limits. 

Walker  township  was  erected  in  April,  1827,  from  part  of  Porter. 
At  the  time  of  its  organization  it  extended  from  Piney  ridge  on  the 
southeast  to  the  Blair  county  line  on  Tussey's  mountain,  and  from 
Porter  township  on  the  north  to  Penn  township  on  the  south  and  south- 
west. Its  boundaries  were  changed  and  its  area  reduced  by  the  forma- 
tion of  Smithfield  township  in  1886.  One  of  the  first  settlers  was 
Henry  Lloyd,  who  came  from  Virginia.  Alexander  INIcConnell,  the 
founder  of  McConnellstown,  Joshua  Lewis,  William  Moore,  Samuel 
and  Henry  Peightal  and  the  Entrikcn  family  were  also  early  settlers. 
The  township  was  named  for  Jonathan  \\'alker,  who  was  at  one  time 
the  president  judge  of  the  judicial  district  in  which  Huntingdon  county 
was  situated.  There  are  considerable  deposits  of  iron  ore,  some  of 
which  have  been  developed,  the  ores  being  shipped  to  Johnstown  and 
Danville. 

Warriors  Mark,  the  most  northwestern  township  of  the  countv, 
was  erected  from  Franklin  in  January,  1798.  Originally  it  included 
a  portion  of  Snyder  and  Tyrone  townships,  now  in  Blair  county,  and 
a  part  of  the  present  county  of  Center.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north- 
west and  southwest  by  Blair  county ;  on  the  northeast  by  Center  county ; 
and  on  the  southeast  by  Franklin  township.  It  derived  its  name  from 
a  settlement  in  the  central  part,  established  at  an  earlier  date.  There  is 
a  tradition,  not  very  well  defined,  that  the  Indians  had  marks  of  some 
kind  upon  the  trees  near  the  settlement,  indicating  a  meeting  place  or 
place  of  holding  councils.  Michael  Maguire,  who  settled  there  in  1773, 
said  some  years  later  that  the  marks  were  stones  placed  in  the  forks 
of  four  oak  trees  and  that  these  stones  were  almost  covered  by  the 
growth  of  the  trees.  John  Baynton,  Samuel  Wharton  and  probably 
some  others,  who  came  in  1766,  were  proliably  the  first  settlers.  Nathan 
and  Thomas  Ricketts  came  in  1777,  and  when  th*^  township  was  or- 
ganized in  1798  there  were  over  one  hundred  land  owners.     A  school 


82  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

house  was  erected  in  this  township  as  early  as  1790.  It  was  of  logs, 
but  later  was  replaced  by  a  stone  building,  of  which  James  Thompson, 
an  old  settler,  said  "That  school  house  cost  a  drink  of  whisky  for 
every  stone  in  it."  The  Little  Juniata  and  the  Pennsylvania  railroad 
run  along  the  southwestern  border  and  the  Lewisburg  &  Tyrone  rail- 
road from  the  northeast  to  the  southwest  through  the  township.  Bir- 
mingham is  the  only  borough  and  W^arriors  Mark  is  the  largest  town. 
\\^est  township.  located  chiefly  in  the  ShaA-er's  creek  valley,  was 
established  in  April,  1796,  its  territory  being  taken  from  the  old  town- 
ship of  Barree.  Part  of  Oneida  was  taken  from  West  in  1856  and  it 
was  further  reduced  in  size  by  the  erection  of  Logan  township  in  1878. 
James  Childs  settled  in  the  township  in  1762;  William  \\'ilson  came 
the  next  year,  and  James  and  John  Dickey  in  1764.  The  first  saw 
and  grist  mill  was  built  by  Alexander  McCormick  on  Gardner's  run, 
but  the  date  when  it  was  built  is  not  known.  John  Ambrose  erected  a  • 
mill  on  Lightner's  run  soon  afterward.  In  1798,  two  years  after  the 
township  was  organized,  there  were  upon  the  tax  lists  the  names  of 
more  than  one  hundred  land  owners.  Shaver's  creek  runs  through 
one  of  the  most  fertile  valleys  in  the  county  and  farming  is  the  chief 
occupation  of  the  people  of  West  township.  Samuel  Anderson,  who 
settled  in  that  part  of  the  township  afterward  cut  ofif  to  form  Logan, 
built  a  fort  on  the  west  side  of  Shaver's  creek  about  1778.  Concern- 
ing this  fort,  J.  Simpson  Africa,  late  of  Huntingdon,  relates  the  fol- 
lowing incident : 

"The  inhabitants  of  the  fort,  after  defending  themselves  for  a  long 
time  against  the  attacks  of  the  savages,  finding  their  supplies  becoming 
exhausted,  fled  to  Standing  Stone  fort.  In  their  flight  two  of  the  men, 
named  Maguire,  were  killed  by  the  Indians,  and  their  sister,  afterwards 
Mrs.  Dowling,  who  was  driving  the  cows,  was  chased  by  them.  Spring- 
ing from  ambush,  the  sudden  surprise  frightened  the  cows  and  they 
started  to  run.  The  foremost  Indian  caught  her  dress  and  imagined  he 
had  made  sure  of  a  victim,  but  she  simultaneously  grasped  the  tail  of 
one  of  the  cows,  held  on,  her  dress  tore,  and  she  escaped.  She  reached 
Fort  Standing  Stone,  half  dead  with  fright,  still  holding  on  to  the  tail 
of  the  cow." 

Wood  township,  the  youngest  in  the  county,  was  taken  from  Car- 
bon.    The  first  petition  for  the  erection  of  a  new  township  in  this  por- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY  83 

tion  of  the  county  was  filed  with  the  court  on  September  2,  1901,  C. 
E.  Benson  and  Elbra  Chilcott  were  appointed  viewers  and  made  their 
report  on  December  16,  1901,  whereupon  the  court  ordered  an  election 
for  February  18,  1902,  at  which  time  the  people  were  to  vote  upon  the 
question  of  dividing  Carbon  township.  The  result  at  that  election  was 
tie  vote  and  on  January  5,  1905,  the  court  ordered  another  election  for 
February  21st  following,  when  a  majority  of  the  electors  expressed 
themselves  in  favor  of  a  new  township.  On  March  6,  1905,  the  court 
ordered  the  division  of  Carbon  township,  from  the  eastern  half  of  which 
should  be  erected  the  township  of  Wood,  the  line  running  a  short  dis- 
tance east  of  Broad  Top  City. 

Li  Huntingdon  county  there  are  eighteen  boroughs,  viz. :  Alex- 
andria, Birmingham,  Broad  Top  City,  Cassville,  Coalmont,  Dudley, 
Huntingdon,  jNIapleton,  ]Marklesburg,  JNIill  Creek,  Mount  Union,  Or- 
bisonia,  Petersburg,  Rock  Hill,  Saltillo,  Shade  Gap,  Shirleysburg  and 
Three  Springs. 

Of  these  boroughs  Huntingdon  is  the  oldest  and,  being  the  county 
seat,  stands  first  in  importance.  The  first  white  claimant  to  the  land 
where  Huntingdon  now  stands  was  Hugh  Crawford,  who  was  an  en- 
sign in  Captain  Hamilton's  company  at  the  time  of  the  French  and 
Indian  war.  He  claimed  to  have  made  an  improvement  here  about 
1753,  but  just  how  he  acquired  title  to  the  land  is  not  clear.  By  a 
deed  executed  at  Fort  Pitt  (Pittsburgh)  on  June  i,  1760,  he  conveyed 
to  George  Croghan,  for  a  consideration  of  £100,  "a  certain  tract  of 
land  of  four  hundred  acres  on  the  north  side  of  the  Frankstown 
Branch  of  Juniata,  known  by  the  name  of  Standing  Stone,  including 
my  improvements  thereon,  from  the  mouth  of  Standing  Stone  Creek 
to  the  crossing  up  the  creek,  and  to  the  upperward  part  of  a  small 
island,"  etc.  On  December  10,  1764,  Croghan  perfected  and  strength- 
ened his  title  by  obtaining  from  the  proprietaries  a  warrant  for  the 
land,  and  on  March  25,  1766,  he  conve}-ed  the  same  to  "William  Smith, 
D.D.,  Provost  of  the  College  of  Philadelphia,"  for  the  sum  of  £300. 
The  following  year  Dr.  Smith  laid  out  a  town  on  the  Crawford  or 
Croghan  tract,  which  town  later  was  named  Huntingdon.  Just  when 
that  name  was  first  applied  to  the  town  is  not  certain.  The  oldest 
deed  to  be  found  is  one  dated  September  7,  1768,  in  which  Dr.  Smith 
conveys  to  .Samuel  Anderson  lot  No.  12,  situated  on  Allegheny  street, 


84  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

between  Third  and  Fourth.     This  deed  recites  that  "\\'ilham  Smith  hath 

laid  out  a  certain  Town  called  .  at  Standing  Stone, 

on  Juniata,  in  the  county  of  Cumberland,  and  divided  the  same  into 
streets  and  lots,  regularly  named  and  numbered,"  etc.  As  a  blank  ap- 
pears in  the  deed  where  the  name  of  the  town  should  be,  it  is  reason- 
able to  suppose  that  no  name  had  at  that  time  been  selected. 

Rev.  William  Smith,  the  founder  of  Huntingdon,  was  an  Episco- 
pal minister  and  a  man  of  considerable  learning  and  ability.  He  was 
elected  provost  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1755  and  some 
time  later  made  a  journey  to  England  to  solicit  funds  for  that  insti- 
tution. Among  those  who  responded  to  his  appeals  was  the  Countess 
of  Huntingdon,  who  gave  him  a  liberal  donation  for  the  university  and 
the  town  was  named  in  her  honor.  At  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution 
Huntingdon  was  a  straggling  village  of  but  four  or  five  houses.  The 
only  known  inhabitants  at  that  time  were  Benjamin  Elliott,  Abraham 
Haynes,  Ludwig  Sell,  one  of  the  Cluggages  and  their  families.  The 
town  was  then,  and  for  some  years  afterward,  more  frequently  called 
Standing  Stone  than  Huntingdon  and  when  the  latter  was  used  the 
other  name  was  often  added  as  a  matter  of  explanation. 

Two  brothers,  James  and  David  Mc^Murtrie,  came  from  Philadelphia 
about  1776  or  1777,  having  been  sent  there  by  their  father,  "a  prudent 
Scotchman,"  to  keep  them  from  joining  the  "rebel  army."  They  re- 
mained there  and  became  useful  citizens,  David  having  been  the  first 
county  treasurer.  After  the  Revolutionary  war  the  town  grew  more 
rapidly  and  on  ]March  29,  1796,  it  was  incorporated  as  a  borough  by 
act  of  the  legislature,  with  the  following  boundaries :  "Beginning  at 
a  large  stone  corner  placed  on  the  bank  of  the  river  Juniata,  at  or 
near  the  entrance  of  a  fording  place,  and  at  the  distance  of  two  hundred 
feet,  on  a  course  south  sixty-six  degrees  east,  from  the  east  side  of  St. 
Clair  (now  Second)  street;  thence  north  twenty-four  degrees  east, 
one  hundred  and  nine  perches  to  a  stone;  thence  south  twenty-four 
degrees  west,  including  Charles  (now  Seventh)  street,  one  hundred 
and  ten  perches,  or  thereabouts,  to  the  river  Juniata ;  thence  down  the 
same  on  the  northerly  bank  or  side,  to  the  place  of  beginning;  being 
the  boundary  of  the  said  town  of  Huntingdon  on  record  in  the  office 
for  recording  of  deeds  in  and  for  the  said  county  of  Huntingdon." 
Upon    the    incorporation    of    the    borough    Benjamin    Elliott    was 


REV.  WILLIAM  SMITH.  D.D., 

FIRST    PROVOST   OF    UNIVERSITY   OF    PENNSYLVANIA. 
FOUNDER   OF   TOWN   OF    HUNTINGDON. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  85 

elected  chief  burgess  and  held  the  office  for  three  years.  By  the  act 
of  March  2-j,  1855,  the  borough  limits  were  extended  to  include  what 
is  known  as  West  Huntingdon  and  some  territory  on  the  east  side  along 
both  sides  of  the  Standing  Stone  creek.  A  second  extension  of  the 
borough  limits  was  made  on  August  14,  1874,  while  Richard  Langdon 
was  chief  burgess,  when  an  ordinance  was  passed  by  the  burgesses 
and  town  council  annexing  a  part  of  Oneida  township  lying  on  the 
north  and  northwest  of  the  town.  On  March  3,  1871,  more  than  two 
years  before  the  above  territory  was  annexed,  an  ordinance  was  passed 
changing  the  names  of  the  streets.  St.  Clair,  Smith,  Montgomery,  Bath, 
Franklin,  Charles,  Fulton,  Chestnut,  \Valnut,  Spruce,  Pine,  Locust, 
Cypress,  Anderson,  Grant,  Scott,  Lincoln  and  Jackson  being  numbered 
from  Second  to  Nineteenth,  respectively.  Standing  Stone  Ridge  road 
was  made  First  street.  The  same  ordinance  provided  that  each  square 
should  be  divided  into  spaces  of  twenty-five  feet,  each  space  to  con- 
stitute a  street  number.     In  1873  the  city  was  divided  into  four  wards. 

In  laying  out  the  town  two  lots  on  the  south  side  of  Allegheny 
street — one  on  the  east  and  the  other  on  the  west  side  of  Smith  (Third) 
street — were  set  apart  by  the  proprietor  for  a  market  place.  When  it 
became  apparent  that  Huntingdon  was  to  be  the  county  seat.  Third 
street  was  regarded  as  the  most  available  site  for  the  public  buildings 
and  a  site  for  a  market  house  was  secured  at  the  intersection  of  Penn 
and  Fifth  streets  by  widening  the  former  to  eighty  feet,  forming  what 
has  since  become  known  as  the  "Diamond."  This  was  done  in  August, 
1787,  and  soon  after  a  market  house  was  erected  there.  Markets  were 
held  on  AVednesdays  and  Saturdays  of  each  week  for  many  j^ears,  but 
the  market  laws  were  frec|uently  infringed  and  on  September  2,  1S47, 
the  burgess  and  council  adopted  a  resolution  ordering  the  market  house 
to  be  torn  down. 

The  first  provision  for  protection  against  fires  was  made  on  January 
10,  1 801,  when  the  borough  authorities  ordered  the  purchase  of  fire 
ladders  and  hooks,  which  were  to  be  kept  in  the  market  house.  In 
1804  the  old  hand  engine  "Juniata"  was  built  by  Philip  i\Iason  of  Phil- 
adelphia and  arrived  in  Huntingdon  early  the  following  year.  It  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  "Active"  fire  company  until  June,  1852,  when 
it  was  succeeded  by  the  "Juniata"  fire  company.  It  was  in  turn  suc- 
ceeded by  the  Juniata  Fire  Company  No.  2  in  September,  1873.     The 


86  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

"Phoenix"  engine  was  purchased  in  1840  and  committed  to  the  Phoenix 
Fire  Company,  which  was  organized  at  that  time.  It  was  removed  to 
the  Fourth  ward  in  1874  and  was  soon  after  supplanted  by  a  steam 
fire  engine.  The  Independent  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  was  or- 
ganized in  October,  1873.  Huntingdon  Fire  Company  No.  i  was  or- 
ganized in  December,  1872,  and  was  incorporated  on  January  14,  1874. 
For  several  years  it  had  charge  of  the  first  steam  fire  engine — a  Silsby — 
which  was  exchanged  for  a  La  France  engine  in  November,  1880,  and 
the  Silsby  machine  went  to  the  Phcenix  Fire  Company.  The  engine 
and  council  house  on  Washington  street  was  built  about  this  time. 
It  has  accommodations  on  the  ground  floor  for  the  hook  and  ladder 
truck,  the  Juniata  hand  engine  and  steamer  No.  i.  On  the  second 
floor  are  rooms  for  the  meeting  of  the  borough  council  and  quarters 
for  the  fire  companies  occupying  the  building. 

The  Huntingdon  Gas  Company  was  incorporated  on  ^larch  14, 
1857.  and  on  August  29th,  following,  began  supplying  illuminating  gas 
to  the  citizens.  A  charter  was  received  by  the  Huntingdon  Electric 
Light  Company  on  March  19,  1886,  and  in  1902  the  gas  and  electric 
light  companies  were  consolidated  under  the  name  of  the  Huntingdon 
Gas  Company. 

In  1885  the  Huntingdon  Water  Company  (Limited)  was  organized 
and  by  the  close  of  the  year  1886  had  its  works  in  oi^eratiou,  taking 
water  for  the  street  hydrants  and  the  use  of  citizens  from  Standing 
Stone  creek  opposite  the  east  end  of  Washington  street.  The  works 
have  been  improved  from  time  to  time  until  the  borough  has  a  bounti- 
ful supply  of  pure  water,  suitable  for  all  domestic  purposes. 

The  Juniata  Valley  Electric  Street  Railway  Company  was  incor- 
porated on  August  8,  1906,  and  soon  afterward  completed  its  line 
from  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  station  over  Fourth,  Washington, 
Eleventh  and  Moore  streets  to  the  Juniata  College.  Cars  commenced 
running  regularly  over  this  line  on  June  3,  1907.  Plans  are  now 
(1913)  under  contemplation  for  the  consolidation  of  this  company 
with  the  Big  Valley  Electric  Railway  Company,  by  which  the  lines 
will  be  extended  to  Mount  Union  and  into  the  Kishacoquillas  valley. 
When  the  plans  are  carried  out  and  the  lines  completed  Huntingdon 
will  become  an  important  trolley  center. 

On  August  I,  1880,  was  established  the  Central  Pennsylvania  Tele- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  87 

phone  and  Supply  Company,  a  part  of  the  Bell  system,  with  its  prin- 
cipal office  at  Williamsport.  The  Huntingdon  exchange  was  opened 
on  April  i,  188 1,  with  D.  S.  Drake  as  manager.  This  exchange  now 
has  about  700  local  telephones  connected  with  it  and  furnishes  long 
distance  communication  to  all  parts  of  the  state. 

Huntingdon  has  three  national  banks,  one  private  bank,  one  trust 
company,  one  daily,  one  semi-weekly  and  three  weekly  newspapers, 
a  number  of  well  appointed  mercantile  establishments,  good  hotels 
and  several  important  manufacturing  enterprises.  Excellent  educa- 
tional facilities  are  afforded  by  the  high  school,  three  ward  schools 
and  the  Juniata  College. 

In  1792,  four  years  before  the  borough  was  incorporated,  the 
population  of  Huntingdon  was  eighty-five  families.  Since  then  the 
growth  has  been  gradual  and  steady,  the  population  in  the  various 
census  years  since  1810  being  as  follows:  1810,  676;  1820,  848;  1830, 
1,222;  1840,  1,145:  1S50,  1,470;  i860.  1,890;  1870,  3,034;  1880, 
4,125;  1890,  5.729;  1900,  6,053;  1910,  6,861. 

The  borough  of  Alexandria  is  situated  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Frankstown  branch  of  the  Juniata  river  and  the  Hollidaysburg  division 
of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  eleven  miles  by  rail  west  of  Huntingdon. 
It  is  on  the  line  of  the  old  Indian  path  and  the  first  land  warrant  was 
issued  for  a  tract  where  the  borough  now  stands  in  1755.  The  town 
was  laid  out  by  Elizabeth  Gemmill  in  August,  1793.  Lewis  Mytinger 
opened  the  first  store  and  was  the  first  postmaster.  William  Moore 
and  John  Walker  were  the  first  tavern  keepers,  and  Dr.  John  A. 
Buchanan  was  the  first  physician.  Alexandria  became  the  western 
terminus  of  a  stage  line  to  Harrisburg  in  1808,  and  after  the  comple- 
tion of  the  Pennsylvania  canal  it  became  an  important  shipping  point. 
It  was  incorporated  by  act  of  the  legislature  on  April  11,  1827,  and 
in  July,  1847,  Trimble's  addition  was  made  to  the  original  plat  of  one 
hundred  lots.  The  town  has  a  good  public  school  building,  a  public 
library,  handsome  church  edifices  of  different  denominations  and  in 
1 9 10  reported  a  population  of  432,  an  increase  of  26  over  the  census 
of  1900. 

Birmingham,  situated  on  the  Little  Juniata  river  and  the  main  line 
of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  seven  miles  west  of  Huntingdon,  was 
laid  out  in  December,   1797,  by  John  Cadwallader,   "for  a  manufac- 


88  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

turing  town  at  the  head  of  navigation."  The  proprietor  was  generous 
in  his  ideas  of  building  up  a  town,  donating  lots  for  educational  and 
religious  purposes,  a  "library  hall,"  etc.  On  the  plat,  near  the  bank  of 
the  Juniata,  was  marked  "the  Public  Landing,"  which  was  also  desig- 
nated as  the  "head  of  navigati(?n.  "  In  order  to  stimulate  the  sale  of 
lots  Mr.  Cadwallader  sold  tickets  at  fifteen  dollars,  to  draw  a  lot  of 
two  acres  suitable  for  manufacturing  purposes,  or  ten  dollars  for  a 
regular  town  lot.  These  sums  represented  one-half  the  price  of  the 
lots,  the  other  half  to  be  paid  after  the  drawing  and  the  execution  of 
the  deed.  The  first  store  was  started  in  Birmingham  in  iSii  by  Dr. 
Burt,  who  was  also  the  first  physician.  Thomas  Stewart  was  the  first 
postmaster.  Birmingham  was  incorporated  as  a  borough  by  act  of 
the  legislature  on  April  14,  1828,  and  the  first  election  was  ordered 
to  be  held  at  the  house  of  Mary  Jordan.  The  records  of  that  election 
have  been  lost,  so  that  the  names  of  the  first  borough  oflicers  cannot 
be  ascertained.  The  earliest  records  available  are  for  183 1,  when  John 
Owens  was  the  chief  burgess.  Birmingham  lias  never  come  up  to  the 
anticipations  of  its  founder  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  only  196. 
On  July  4,  1878,  a  soldiers'  monument  was  unveiled  in  the  old  Metho- 
dist cemeterv.  It  is  about  twelve  feet  in  height,  with  a  medallion  profile 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  inscription  "With  malice  toward  none,  with 
charity  for  all."  It  is  surmounted  by  an  "Angel  of  Mercy"  and  cost 
about  $800. 

Broad  Top  City,  a  borough  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  was 
laid  out  bv  the  Broad  Top  Improvement  Company  in  1854.  while  the 
Huntingdon  &  Broad  Top  railroad  was  under  construction,  and  it  was 
incorporated  on  August  19,  1868,  with  Paul  Ammerman  as  the  first 
chief  burgess.  The  failure  of  the  railroad  company  to  extend  the 
line  to  Broad  Top  City  prevented  its  attaining  the  proportions  its  pro- 
jectors expected,  though  it  is  a  mining  town  of  some  importance  and 
in  1910  reported  a  population  of  478. 

Cassville,  located  in  the  Trough  creek  valley,  south  of  the  center 
of  the  county,  was  laid  out  by  Benjamin  and  Rolieson  Chilcott  aliout 
1796  and  was  first  known  as  Salisbury  or  Chilcoatstown.  Three  build- 
ings stood  upon  the  site  when  the  town  was  laid  out.  AA'illiam  Lovell 
was  the  first  tavern  keeper  and  Robert  Speer  the  first  merchant.  Mr. 
Speer  was  one  of  the  most  energetic  of  the  pioneers  and  carried  one 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  89 

of  the  largest  stocks  of  general  merchandise  in  the  county  at  that 
period.  In  September,  1830,  Dr.  Roljert  Baird  and  Andrew  Shaw  laid 
out  an  addition  and  the  lots  sold  readily  at  from  forty  to  fifty  dollars 
each.  A  tannery  was  started  in  that  year  by  Lemuel  Green,  and  two 
potteries — one  operated  by  Jacob  Greenland  and  the  other  by  E.  B. 
Hissong — were  started  a  few  years  later.  In  1849  a  public  meeting  was 
called  to  consider  the  advisability  of  applying  to  the  proper  authorities 
for  the  incorporation  of  the  place  as  a  borough.  Some  objected  to 
the  name  of  Salisbury  and  a  committee  of  three  was  appointed  to  select 
a  new  name.  A  majority  of  the  committee  decided  upon  Cassville,  and 
it  was  incorporated  by  that  name  on  JNIarch  3.  1853,  by  an  act  of  the 
legislature.  The  records  prior  to  1857  have  been  lost.  In  that  year 
John  S.  Gehrett  was  the  chief  burgess.  A  seminary  was  established 
at  Cassville  in  the  fall  of  1851.  After  several  }-ears  of  varying  success, 
the  building  was  purchased  by  Professor  A.  L.  Guss,  who  conducted 
a  school  for  soldiers'  orphans  for  about  eight  years.  The  population 
of  Cassville  in  1910  was  165,  showing  a  slight  decrease  during  the 
preceding  decade. 

Coalmont,  as  its  name  indicates,  grew  up  in  connection  with  the 
development  of  the  Broad  Top  coal  fields.  It  is  situated  about  two 
miles  from  the  Bedford  county  line,  on  the  Huntingdon  &  Broad  Top 
railroad,  and  occupies  a  site  formerly  used  for  holding  camp  meetings. 
The  first  house  in  the  town  was  built  by  David  E.  Brode  in  1843. 
On  August  10,  1864,  a  petition  signed  by  twenty-seven  citizens  w^as 
filed  with  the  court  praying  for  the  incorporation  as  a  borough.  The 
petition  was  granted  and  on  November  11,  1864,  Coalmont  was  in- 
corporated, with  J.  S.  Berkstresser  as  the  first  chief  burgess.  The 
population  in  1910  was  228.  Coalmont  is  a  trading  center  for  a  con- 
siderable district. 

Dudley  began  as  a  mining  village  in  1859  and  was  named  after  a 
place  in  England.  A  Catholic  church  had  lieen  established  here  in 
1857  and  the  settlement  grew  up  around  the  church.  In  the  summer 
of  1876  a  movement  was  started  to  have  the  place  incorporated  as  a 
borough,  which  was  finally  done  on  November  13,  1876,  with  William 
Brown  as  the  first  chief  burgess.  In  1910  the  population  of  Dudley  was 
440,  an  increase  of  150  over  the  census  of  1900. 

Mapleton    (postotifice   name   Mapleton  Depot)    was  first  started  as 


90  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY 

a  station  by  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  and  in  1858  con- 
sisted of  three  houses.  The  land  belonged  to  John  Donaldson,  who  laid 
out  a  town  about  the  time  the  railroad  was  completed  and  on  August 
12,  1866,  ilapleton  was  incorporated  as  a  borough,  with  A.  H.  Bau- 
man  as  the  first  chief  burgess.  In  1870  the  population  was  389  and 
in  1910  it  was  752.  A  postofiice  was  established  here  at  an  early  date. 
In  1876  two  sand  quarries  were  opened  near  the  town  and  have  added 
materially  to  its  growth  and  prosperity.  ^Nlapleton  has  a  fine  public 
school  building,  churches  of  various  denominations  and  is  a  place  of 
considerable  commercial  activity. 

^larklesburg  (postoffice  name  Aitch)  is  located  near  the  head  of 
James  creek,  about  twelve  miles  southwest  of  Huntingdon  and  half 
a  mile  from  Grantville,  on  the  Huntingdon  &  Broad  Top  railroad. 
It  was  laid  out  in  the  summer  of  1844  by  Jacob  Cresswell  and  was 
named  for  General  Joseph  Markle,  at  that  time  the  Whig  candidate 
for  governor.  The  first  house  was  erected  by  Jacob  Skyles  in  that 
year.  A  postoffice  called  James  Creek  had  been  established  there  as 
early  as  1840,  with  John  B.  Given  as  the  postmaster.  In  August,  1855, 
trains  began  running  between  Huntingdon  and  Marklesburg  and  the 
latter  place  experienced  a  boom.  Within  a  few  years  it  boasted  forty- 
five  dwellings,  three  churches,  a  school  house,  three  stores,  two  car- 
riage factories,  blacksmith,  cooper  and  carpenter  shops  and  a  popula- 
tion of  300.  Then  the  railroad  passed  on  and  much  of  Marklesburg's 
trade  was  diverted  to  other  points.  The  place  was  incorporated  on 
November  19,  1873,  with  E.  D.  Beatty  as  the  first  chief  burgess.  In 
1 910  the  population  was  211. 

Mill  Creek,  a  station  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  six  miles  east 
of  Huntingdon,  was  laid  out  in  October,  1848,  by  James  Simpson  for 
David  Zook  &  Company.  It  takes  its  name  from  the  stream  upon  which 
it  is  situated.  The  first  stores  in  this  locality  were  opened  at  Wilson's 
Mills  about  1828.  Mill  Creek  was  incorporated  as  a  borough  on  De- 
cember 13.  1905,  with  I.  N.  Foust  as  chief  burgess.  The  population 
in  1910  was  308. 

Mount  Union,  the  second  town  in  importance  in  Huntingdon  county, 
was  first  laid  out  by  William  Pollock  in  1840,  for  John  Sharrer.  In 
1849  Dougherty  &  Speer  purchased  the  adjoining  tract,  having  re- 
ceived a  charter  for  the  Drake's  Ferry  &  East  Broad  Top  railroad,  and 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY  91 

this  place  was  designed  by  them  as  a  transfer  point,  though  no  steps 
were  taken  to  build  the  railroad.  The  first  building  in  this  immediate 
locality  was  a  stone  house  near  Drake's  ferry,  occupied  by  William 
Pollock  as  merchant  and  postmaster.  This  building  was  subsequently 
destroyed  by  fire.  John  Sharrer  opened  the  American  Hotel  in  1848,  a 
tannery  was  started  in  1859,  ^""^  ^^  the  meantime  several  business  en- 
terprises had  found  a  footing  at  Mount  Union,  which  was  incorporated 
as  a  borough  on  April  19,  1867,  with  Augustus  Eberman  as  chief 
burgess.  The  town  has  two  national  banks,  a  number  of  good  mer- 
cantile houses,  hotels,  several  prosperous  manufacturing  concerns  and 
in  1910  reported  a  population  of  3,338.  Li  1900  the  population  was 
i,oS6,  and  in  1890  it  was  810.  Few  boroughs  in  the  state  show  as 
great  an  increase  in  population  and  wealth  during  the  last  twenty  years 
as  Mount  Union. 

Orbisonia,  a  station  on  the  East  Broad  Top  railroad,  which  con- 
nects with  the  Pennsylvania  at  Mount  Union,  is  the  largest  town  in 
the  southeastern  part  of  the  county.  As  early  as  1760  George  Irvin 
had  an  Indian  trading  post  at  this  point.  The  Bedford  furnace  was 
opened  in  1785  and  two  years  later  a  grist  mill  was  started.  Another 
mill  was  built  by  Hezekiah  Crownover  in  1812.  The  store  of  Crom- 
well &  Cornelius  was  opened  in  1824,  a  postoffice  was  established  in 
1830  in  Taylor  Crownover's  store,  there  were  two  distilleries  in  1833 
and  in  1836  Jonathan  Carothers  opened  the  Eagle  Hotel.  Up  to  this 
time  the  town,  like  Topsy  in  L'ncle  Tom's  Cabin,  "just  growed."  There 
were  no  streets  and  the  lots  were  of  irregular  size,  straggling  along 
on  either  side  of  the  road.  In  May,  1850,  it  was  regularly  laid  out  and 
named  Orbisonia,  for  Thomas  E.  Orbison,  who  located  there  about 
1830  or  1 83 1.  The  growth  of  the  town  continued  and  on  November 
23,  1855,  it  was  incorporated  as  a  borough,  with  Simon  Gratz  as  the 
first  chief  burgess.  Orbisonia  has  two  banks,  a  weekly  newspaper, 
churches  of  different  denominations,  a  good  retail  trade  with  the  sur- 
rounding country  and  in  19 10  the  population  was  618.  The  first  school 
house  was  a  small  log  structure,  but  this  has  been  replaced  by  a  modern 
building. 

Six  miles  west  of  Huntingdon,  on  the  main  line  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania railroad,  stands  the  borough  of  Petersburg,  one  of  the  oldest 
towns  in  the  county.    It  was  laid  out  on  \lay  21,  1795,  by  Peter  Shoen- 


92  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

berger  on  the  tract  of  land  owned  by  him  on  the  east  side  of  Shaver's 
creek,  opposite  the  site  of  old  Fort  Anderson.  Mr.  Shoenberger,  for 
whom  the  borough  was  named,  was  the  first  merchant  and  also  kept 
the  first  tavern.  A  postoffice  called  Shaver's  Creek  was  established 
there  at  an  early  date,  with  Valentine  W'ingart  as  postmaster.  Dr. 
Peter  Sevine  was  the  first  physician.  While  the  Pennsylvania  canal 
was  in  operation  Petersburg  was  quite  a  commercial  center  and  ship- 
ping point.  Flour  and  saw  mills  were  established  at  an  early  day 
and  the  Juniata  forge,  operated  by  Hunter  &  Swoope,  was  located 
at  the  mouth  of  Shaver's  creek.  It  was  one  of  the  pioneer  concerns 
in  the  manufacture  of  the  famous  Juniata  charcoal  iron.  On  April  7, 
1830,  Petersburg  was  incorporated  by  act  of  the  legislature  and  George 
Rung  was  the  first  chief  burgess.  Lodges  of  various  benevolent  socie- 
ties are  located  here ;  Juniata  Grange,  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  was  or- 
ganized in  1874;  there  are  churches  of  dififerent  faiths,  the  Shaver's 
Creek  Bank,  several  good  stores  and  in  19 10  the  population  was  re- 
ported as  being  705. 

Rock  Hill  (postoffice  name  Rockhill  Furnace)  was  laid  out  in 
1874  across  the  Black  Log  creek  from  Orbisonia.  A  large  number  of 
the  early  houses  were  built  and  owned  by  the  Rockhill  Iron  and  Coal 
Company.  An  iron  furnace  was  opened  at  this  place  in  183 1  by  Diven 
&  Morrison.  The  Winchester  furnace  was  built  two  or  three  years 
later.  Rock  Hill  was  incorporated  on  June  16,  1S87,  with  A.  W. 
Sims  as  the  first  chief  burgess.  It  is  a  station  on  the  East  Broad  Top 
railroad  and  in  1910  reported  a  population  of  504. 

Saltillo,  a  station  on  the  East  Broad  Top  railroad  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  county,  was  settled  in  1796  by  Henry  Hubbell.  On  August 
20,  1796,  Thomas  Greer  filed  for  record  the  plat  of  "Springville,"  which 
occupied  the  site  of  Saltillo.  A  grist  mill  was  built  by  Henry  Hubbell 
in  1797  and  J.  &  J.  C.  Brewster  were  the  first  merchants.  A  number  of 
lots  were  sold  to  people  in  Philadelphia  and  other  places,  but  the  lack 
of  transportation  facilities  caused  many  of  the  purchasers  to  surrender 
their  claims  and  Springville  died  a  natural  death.  Some  years  later 
Henry  Hudson  laid  out  Saltillo,  which  was  incorporated  as  a  borough 
on  December  i,  1S75,  with  Samuel  ^McVitty  as  the  first  chief  burgess. 
There  are  two  rich  veins  of  iron  ore  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  A  large 
steam  tannery  was  established  by  Leas  &  McVitty  a  little  while  before 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  93 

the  borough  was  incorporated.     The  population  in  1910  was  410. 

Shade  Gap,  in  the  Black  Log  valley,  was  settled  by  George  Hudson 
in  1782.  It  is  located  on  the  old  Indian  path  from  the  Tuscarora 
valley  to  Kittaning  Point  and  was  one  of  the  few  places  easy  of  access 
in  early  times.  James  Stark  was  the  first  merchant  and  a  man  named 
Forman  kept  the  first  public  house  of  entertainment.  George  Hudson 
built  a  woolen  mill  and  a  grist  mill  near  the  gap  a  few  years  after 
he  first  settled  there  and  in  1803  Michael  Mills  opened  a  blacksmith 
shop.  The  Milnwood  Academy  was  founded  in  1849.  Shade  Gap 
was  incorporated  as  a  borough  on  April  20,  1871,  but  the  early  records 
have  been  lost.     In  19 10  the  population  was  143. 

Shirleysburg,  formerly  known  as  Aughwick,  Old  Town-  and  Fort 
Shirley,  was  settled  by  George  Croghan  prior  to  the  French  and  Indian 
war.  The  town  was  laid  out  by  Henry  Warner  and  in  its  early  days 
was  the  most  important  place  in  the  county  southeast  of  Huntingdon. 
Saw  and  grist  mills  were  built  at  an  early  date.  Every  spring  for 
many  years  the  militia  from  the  southeastern  townships  met  at  Shirleys- 
burg for  review  and  inspection.  A  factory  for  the  manufacture  of 
earthenware  was  established  in  1866  by  George  W.  Hawker,  who  also 
made  drain  tile  and  terra  cotta.  Dr.  Loughran  was  the  first  physician. 
Shirleysburg  was  incorporated  as  a  borough  on  April  3,  1837,  with 
John  Lutz  as  the  first  chief  burgess.  The  completion  of  the  East  Broad 
Top  railroad  through  the  place  in  1873  S^"^^  ^  "^^^  impetus  to  business 
and  for  a  time  the  population  showed  considerable  increase.  Rival 
towns  then  offered  better  inducements  for  the  investment  of  capital 
and  for  the  last  half  a  century  Shirleysburg  has  barely  held  its  own. 
In  1910  the  population  was  256,  a  slight  decrease  under  that  of  1900. 

Three  Springs,  a  station  on  the  East  Broad  Top  railroad  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  county,  was  laid  out  in  the  spring  of  1843  ^"d 
was  first  called  Scottsville,  for  General  W'infield  Scott.  A  postoffice 
was  soon  after  established  there  under  that  name.  Richard  Ashman 
and  William  \\'hite  were  the  first  merchants.  George  D.  Hudson  built 
the  first  hotel,  in  the  kitchen  of  which  was  taught  the  first  school.  Dr. 
Robert  Baird  was  the  first  physician.  Three  Springs  was  incorporated 
as  a  borough  on  November  10,  1869,  with  William  J.  Hampson  as 
the  first  chief  burgess.  Soon  after  the  incorporation  P.  F.  Bence  started 
a  local  newspaper.     In  1870  the  population  was   189  and  each  census 


94  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

year  since  that  time  has  shown  a  slight  increase,  the  population  in  1910 
being  248. 

In  addition  to  the  eighteen  boroughs  above  mentioned,  Huntingdon 
county  is  supplied  with  the  following  postoffices:  Airydale,  Augh- 
wick  Mills,  Barree,  Blairs  Mills,  Calvin,  Charter  Oak,  Clair,  Coles  Sum- 
mit, Colfax,  Cora,  Cottage,  Decorum.  Eagle  Foundry,  East  Broad  Top, 
Entriken,  Franklinville,  Grafton,  Graysville,  Jacob,  James  Creek, 
McAlevy's  Fort,  McConnellstown,  McNeal,  Maddensville,  Manor  Hill, 
Meadow  Gap,  Mentzer,  Neelyton,  NefFs  Mills,  Norrace,  Nossville,  Penn- 
sylvania Furnace,  Robertsdale,  Ronald,  Salter,  Saulsburg,  Selea,  Shade 
Valley,  Shy  Beaver,  Spruce  Creek.  Todd,  Trough  Creek,  Union  Fur- 
nace, Valley  Point,  Warriors  Mark,  Water  Street  and  Wood.  There 
are  fourteen  rural  free  delivery  routes  in  the  county,  to  wit :  One 
from  Alexandria,  one  from  Grafton,  three  from  Huntingdon,  one  from 
McAlevy's  Fort,  one  from  Mapleton  Depot,  one  from  Penns}-lvania. 
Furnace,  one  from  Petersburg,  one  from  Shirleysburg,  two  from  Three 
Springs  and  two  from  Warriors  Mark. 


CHAPTER    VI 

MIFFLIN  COUNTY,  ORGANIZATION,  ETC. 

Cumberland  County  Erected — Included  Mifflin — Purchase  of  1754 — Organization  of 
Townships — Petition  for  a  New  Count}' — Organic  Act — Trouble  over  the  Location 
of  the  County  Seat — Trustees  Refuse  to  Serve — Vacancies  Filled — Purchase  of  Site 
— First  Jail — Court  Houses — Lewistown  Riot — Clarke's  Account — Dispute  over 
Boundaries — County  Line  Commission  of  1895 — Litigation — Reductions  in  Area — 
The  Poor-house — The  Civil  List. 

BEFORE  entering  upon  any  historical  account  of  Mifflin  county  it 
is  pertinent  to  notice  some  of  the  events  which  preceded  and 
led  up  to  its  organization.  Cumberland  county,  erected  in  1750, 
embraced  all  the  territory  west  of  the  Susquehanna  river,  except  the 
present  counties  of  York  and  Adams.  At  that  time  the  Indians  still 
claimed  most  of  the  lands  lying  west  of  the  Susquehanna.  Their  title 
was  extinguished  by  the  Albany  purchase  of  July  6,  1754,  and  what  is 
now  Mifflin  county  was  a  part  of  the  lands  ceded  at  that  time  to  the 
white  men.  Part  of  Cumberland  county  was  taken  to  form  the  county 
of  Bedford  on  March  9,  1771 ;  part  of  Northumberland  was  cut  off  on 
March  27,  1772;  and  Cumberland  was  still  further  reduced  in  size  by 
the  formation  of  Franklin  county  on  September  8,  1784. 

In  the  meantime  other  changes  were  found  to  be  necessary.  Im- 
mediately following  the  cession  of  1754  there  was  a  rush  of  settlers 
to  the  "New  Purchase."  In  August,  only  a  little  more  than  a  month 
after  the  treaty  was  concluded  at  Albany,  petitions  were  made  to  the 
Cumberland  county  court  by  the  settlers  in  Sherman's,  Tuscarora  and 
Path  valleys  and  along  the  Buffalo  creek,  asking  for  the  establishments 
of  new  townships  "to  facilitate  the  improvement  and  good  government 
of  the  new  settlements."  In  accordance  with  the  request  of  the  peti- 
tioners, four  new  townships  were  erected,  one  of  which  was  described 
as  follows : 

"And  we  do  further  errect  the  settlement  called  the  Tuskerora  Valey 

95 


96  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

into  a  sepparate  Township  and  nominate  the  same  the  Township  of 
LAC,  and  we  appoint  John  Johnston  to  act  therein  as  Constable  for 
the  remaining  part  of  the  current  year." 

This  township  inckided  all  of  the  present  county  of  Juniata  lying 
west  of  the  Juniata  river.  Some  time  after  it  was  erected  the  letter 
"k"  was  added  to  the  name,  and  what  remains  of  the  original  township 
now  forms  the  western  township  of  Juniata  county.  In  1762  the  town- 
ship of  Fermanagh  was  erected.  It  embraced  the  territory  lying  north 
and  east  of  the  Juniata  and  included  all  the  unorganized  portion  of  the 
lands  purchased  from  the  Indians  in  1S54. 

During  the  next  four  years,  owing  to  the  unsettled  conditions  due 
to  the  French  and  Indian  war,  few  additional  settlers  came  to  the  Juni- 
ata valley,  but  in  the  years  1766-67  there  was  another  heavy  tide  of 
immigration  to  the  "New  Purchase."  In  July,  1767,  Derry,  Penn  and 
Greenwood  townships  were  taken  from  Fermanagh,  the  first  named 
including  nearly  all  the  present  county  of  3,Iifflin.  Alilford  township 
was  cut  off  from  Lack  on  November  7,  1768;  Armagh  was  formed 
from  Derry  in  1771,  Jack's  mountain  being  designated  as  the  dividing 
line:  Bald  Eagle  township,  Northumberland  county,  was  erected  in 
1772;  two  years  later  part  of  Bald  Eagle  was  taken  to  form  the  town- 
ship of  Potter,  and  Wayne  township  was  formed  from  part  of  Derry  in 
1782.  It  was  from  the  townships  of  Lack,  Mil  ford,  Fermanagh,  Derry, 
Armagh,  Bald  Eagle,  Potter  and  Wayne  that  the  territory  was  taken 
to  form  the  county  of  INIifflin  in  1789. 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1788,  petitions  were  circulated 
among  the  people  of  these  townships  asking  for  the  erection  of  a  new 
county,  to  include  within  its  boundaries  practically  all  the  territory  now 
forming  Mifflin  and  Juniata  counties.  The  next  step  on  the  part  of 
the  inhabitants  of  this  region  was  to  elect  delegates  from  the  several 
townships  to  decide  upon  some  plan  of  organization  and  the  manner 
of  selecting  a  seat  of  justice  for  the  new  county.  The  delegates  from 
Armagh,  Derry  and  W'ayne  townships  were:  William  Brown,  John 
Culbertson.  James  McFarlane,  John  Bratton,  John  Oliver,  William 
Smith,  Arthur  Buchanan  and  James  Burns.  Those  from  Lack,  Mil- 
ford,  Fermanagh  and  Greenwood  townships  were:  John  Stewart, 
James  Murray,  Thomas  Turbett,  Samuel  Sharron,  John  Lyon,  Samuel 
Cowan,  John  Harris  and  Robert  Little.     About  the  time,  or  perhaps 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  97 

a  little  while  before,  the  legislature  met  in  the  winter  of  1788-89, 
these  delegates  met  at  the  house  of  David  Sharron,  in  Fermanagh  town- 
ship, and  agreed  "that  Col.  James  Dunlap,  of  Cumberland  county,  Col. 
James  Johnston  and  IMatthew  Wilson,  Esquire,  of  Franklin  county, 
should  be  the  three  persons  recommended  to  the  legislature  as  disinter- 
ested and  suitable  characters  to  explore  said  prescribed  boundary  and 
make  report  to  the  succeeding  legislature  of  the  most  convenient  and 
central  place  for  a  seat  of  justice  within  said  boundary." 

When  the  legislature  assembled  the  petitions  and  action  of  the  dele- 
gates were  brought  before  that  body  and  a  bill  in  accordance  therewith 
passed  the  house  on  March  21,  1789,  but  failed  to  pass  the  senate.  The 
bill  named  Messrs.  Dunlap,  Johnston  and  Wilson  to  locate  the  county 
seat,  "their  judgment  to  be  final  and  conclusive."  After  the  bill  passed 
the  house,  these  three  men  began  the  work  assigned  them  and  after 
examining  several  locations  decided  in  favor  of  John  Harris'  farm, 
where  ]\Iit^intown  now  stands.  This  action  of  the  commissioners  was 
not  satisfactory  to  the  people  above  the  "Narrows"  and  was  largely 
responsible  for  the  defeat  of  the  bill  in  the  senate.  After  the  defeat 
of  the  measure,  the  citizens  above  the  Narrows  took  steps  to  annex 
additional  territory  on  the  north,  with  a  view  to  having  the  seat  of 
justice  established  in  that  part  of  the  county  in  the  event  of  its  erec- 
tion. That  their  efforts  in  this  direction  were  successful  may  be  seen 
in  the  act  which  passed  the  legislature  on  September  19,  1789,  creating 
and  defining  the  boundaries  of  jMiitiin  county.  The  preamble  of  the 
bill  is  as  follows : 

"Whereas,  It  hath  been  represented  to  the  General  Assembly  of 
this  State  by  the  inhabitants  of  those  parts  of  Cumberland  and  North- 
umberland which  are  included  within  the  lines  hereinafter  mentioned, 
that  they  labour  under  great  hardships  by  reason  of  their  great  distance 
from  the  present  seat  of  justice  and  the  public  offices  for  the  said 
counties,  for  the  remedy  thereof." 

Then  follows  Section  i,  which  provided  "That  all  and  singular 
the  lands  lying  within  the  bounds  and  limits  hereinafter  described  and 
following,  shall  be  and  are  hereby  erected  into  a  separate  county  by 
the  name  of  Mifflin  county,  namely:  Beginning  at  Susquehanna  river 
where  the  Turkey  Hill  extends  to  said  river;  then  along  the  said  hill  to 


98  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

the  Juniata  where  it  cuts  the  Tuscarora  mountain ;  thence  along  the 
summit  of  the  said  mountain  to  the  Hue  of  FrankHn  county;  thence 
along  the  said  line  to  Huntingdon  county  line ;  thence  along  the  said 
line  to  the  Juniata  river ;  thence  up  said  river  to  Jack's  Narrows ;  thence 
along  the  line  of  Huntingdon  county  to  the  summit  of  Tussey's  moun- 
tain; thence  along  the  line  of  Huntingdon  and  Northumberland  coun- 
ties, so  as  to  include  the  whole  of  Upper  Bald  Eagle  township,  in 
the  county  of  Northumberland,  to  the  mouth  of  Buck  creek,  where 
it  empties  into  the  Bald  Eagle  creek ;  thence  to  Logan's  Gap  in  Nittany 
mountain;  then  to  the  head  of  Penn's  creek;  thence  down  the  said 
creek  to  Sinking  creek,  leaving  George  McCormick's  in  Northumber- 
land county;  thence  to  the  top  of  Jack's  mountain,  at  the  line  between 
Northumberland  county  and  Cumberland ;  thence  along  the  said  line 
to  Montour's  Spring,  at  the  head  of  Mahantango  creek;  thence  down 
the  said  creek  to  Susquehanna  river,  and  thence  down  the  said  river 
to  the  place  of  beginning." 

The  boundaries  as  established  by  this  bill  differed  from  those  given 
in  the  bill  of  the  preceding  March  by  including  Potter  and  LTpper  Bald 
Eagle  townships  on  the  north  and  leaving  out  Greenwood  township 
(now  in  Perry  county)  on  the  south.  By  this  change  the  center  of  the 
county  was  thrown  much  farther  northward,  which  had  great  influence 
on  the  question  of  the  location  of  the  county  seat.  In  fact,  so  great 
was  this  influence  that  Section  9  of  the  bill  provided: 

"That  John  Oliver,  William  Brown,  David  Beale,  John  Stewart, 
David  Bole  (also  spelled  Bowel  in  some  of  the  public  documents)  and 
Andrew  Gregg  of  said  county,  be,  and  they  are  hereby  appointed 
trustees  for  the  county  aforesaid,  with  full  authority  for  them  or  a 
majority  of  them,  to  purchase,  or  take  and  receive  by  grant,  bargain 
or  otherwise,  any  quantity  or  quantities  of  land,  not  exceeding  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres,  on  the  north  side  of  Juniata  river,  and  within 
one  mile  from  the  mouth  of  Kishicoquilis  creek,  for  the  use,  trust  and 
benefit  of  said  county,  and  to  lay  out  the  same  into  regular  town  lots 
and  to  dispose  of  so  many  of  them  as  they  or  any  four  of  them,  may 
think  best  for  the  advantage  of  said  county;  and  they,  or  any  four 
of  them,  are  hereby  authorized  to  sell  and  convey  so  many  of  them 
as  they  may  think  proper,  and  with  the  monies  so  arising  from  the 
sale  of  said  lots,  and  with  other  monies  to  be  duly  assessed,  levied 
and  collected  within  the  said  county  of  ^Mifflin,  for  that  purpose,  which 
it  is  herebv  declared  it  shall  and  mav  be  lawful  for  the  commissioners 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  99 

thereof  to  do.  or  cause  to  be  done,  to  build  and  erect  a  court-house  and 
prison,  suitable  and  convenient  for  the  public,  on  the  public,  and  such 
other  square  as  shall  be  reserved  for  that  purpose ;  and  the  said  trustees 
shall,  from  time  to  time,  render  true  and  faithful  accounts  of  the  ex- 
penditures of  the  same,  not  only  to  the  commissioners,  but  to  the  Grand 
Jury,  for  inspection,  adjustment  and  settlement  of  the  accounts  of 
said  county." 

Of  the  six  trustees  named  in  this  section,  William  Brown,  John 
Oliver  and  Andrew  Gregg  resided  in  the  townships  of  Armagh,  Wayne 
and  Potter,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  new  county,  while  John  Stewart, 
David  Beale  and  David  Bole  lived  below  the  Narrows  in  the  town- 
ships of  Lack  and  Greenwood.  As  the  last  named  township,  in  which 
David  Bole  resided,  was  left  out  of  the  county  by  the  act  of  September 
19,  1789,  he  was  therefore  disqualified  as  a  trustee,  leaving  only  David 
Beale  and  John  Stewart  to  represent  that  part  of  the  county  on  the 
board  of  trustees.  These  gentlemen,  realizing  that  they  constituted  a 
minority  of  the  board,  refused  to  serve,  claiming  the  act  creating  the 
county  did  not  comply  with  the  provisions  of  the  state  constitution. 
The  disqualification  of  Bole  and  the  refusal  of  Beale  and  Stewart  to 
act  left  but  three  trustees  to  organize  the  county,  whereas.  Section  9, 
above  quoted,  provided  that  a  majority,  "or  any  four  of  them,"  should 
be  necessary  to  perform  legally  the  acts  authorized  by  the  organic  law. 
To  relieve  this  situation  and  render  the  organic  act  effective,  the  leg- 
islature, on  April  5,  1790,  passed  the  following: 

"Whereas,  David  Bowel  (Bole),  one  of  the  said  trustees,  does 
not  reside  within  the  limits  of  the  said  county  of  Mifilin,  and  as  the 
act  erecting  JMiftlin  county  requires  its  trustees  to  concur  in  every  trans- 
action done  under  and  in  virtue  of  their  appointment,  etc..  Be  it  there- 
fore enacted: 

"That  Dr.  James  Armstrong  is  hereby  appointed  a  trustee  in  and 
for  the  county  of  Mifiiin,  and  is  hereby  invested  with  like  powers  and 
authorities  in  every  matter  and  thing  whatsoever  that  of  right  belongs 
to  any  trustee  appointed  for  the  county  of  Mifflin." 

Dr.  Armstrong  was  in  harmony  with  the  provisions  of  the  law 
regarding  the  location  of  the  county  seat  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kishaco- 
quillas  creek,  but  his  appointment  evidently  was  not  satisfactory  to  the 
citizens  of  the  southern  part  of  the  county.      Several   petitions  were 


loo  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

sent  to  the  legislature  during  the  next  decade,  asking  for  a  change  in 
the  location  of  the  county  seat.  In  the  petition  to  the  legislature  of 
1801-02  the  appointment  of  Dr.  Armstrong  is  referred  to  as  follows: 

"That  John  Stewart  and  David  Beale,  being  all  the  trustees  who 
lived  below  the  Narrows,  uniformly  refused  to  act  as  Trustees,  con- 
sidering the  Laws  as  unconstitutional,  together  with  the  undue  ad- 
vantage obtained  thereby,  until,  by  other  device  of  those  who  lived  in 
the  vicinity  of  Lewistown,  got  a  fourth  trustee  added  to  their  side  of 
the  county,  viz.,  James  Armstrong.  On  the  23d  of  June,  1791,  the 
four  Trustees  who  lived  above  the  Narrows.,  viz.,  William  Brown, 
John  Oliver,  Andrew  Gregg  and  James  Armstrong,  published  in  the 
Carlisle  Gazette, — 'The  Trustees  hereby  give  notice  that,  agreeable  to 
said  Act,  they  have  received  by  bargain  a  quantity  of  land  at  the  con- 
fluence of  the  river  Juniata  and  the  Kishaqcoquillas  Creek  and  con- 
firmed thereon  a  town  for  the  Seat  of  Justice  called  Lewistown.'  " 

The  publication  of  this  notice  was  hardly  in  conformity  with  the 
existing  facts,  as  the  trustees  did  not  receive  title  to  the  tract  of  land 
mentioned,  nor  even  to  the  lots  upon  which  the  county  buildings  were 
erected,  until  January  14.  1802.  Soon  after  the  appointment  of  Dr. 
Armstrong,  the  trustees  employed  two  surveyors  named  Samuel  Ed- 
miston  and  James  Potter  to  locate  the  site  for  the  county  seat  and 
"to  lay  out  the  same  into  regular  town  lots,"  pursuant  to  the  pro- 
visions of  the  act  erecting  the  county.  At  that  time  the  title  to  the 
land  was  the  subject  of  litigation  and  no  one  could  make  a  valid  deed 
to  the  trustees.  In  July,  1787,  more  than  two  years  before  the  passage 
of  the  act  creating  Mifflin  county,  the  Cumberland  county  court  awarded 
Mary  Norris  judgment  in  the  sum  of  £1,000  against  Arthur  Buchanan, 
who  owned  300  acres  of  land  on  the  north  side  of  the  Juniata  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Kishacoquillas  creek.  To  satisfy  the  judgment,  the  court 
ordered  Thomas  Buchanan,  high  sheriff  of  Cumberland  county,  to 
levy  upon  this  tract  of  land  and  offer  the  same  for  sale,  etc.  It  was 
first  offered  for  sale  by  the  sheriff  on  December  30,  1788,  but  there 
were  no  purchasers.  On  November  2y,  1790,  the  land  was  sold  to 
Samuel  Edmiston,  and  on  January  22,  1791,  he  received  his  deed  from 
the  sheriff.  On  January  14,  1802,  as  above  stated,  Mr.  Edmiston  ex- 
ecuted a  deed  which  set  forth  that  the  trustees  "laid  out  the  seat  of 
justice  for  the  said  county  of  Mifflin  on  the  land  of  Samuel  Edmiston, 
lying  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  Juniata,  and  situated  on  the  high 


HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  loi 

ground  at  the  junction  of  said  river  with  the  Kishacoquillas  creek." 
By  this  deed  he  conveyed  to  John  OHver,  WiUiam  Brown,  David 
Beale,  John  Stewart,  Andrew  Gregg  and  James  Armstrong,  trustees 
of  Mifflin  county,  lots  No.  15  and  16  for  a  cemetery  and  meeting-house; 
lot  No.  86  for  a  jail;  lot  No.  120  for  a  public  school  house;  the  ground 
on  the  Juniata  from  the  first  alley  to  the  junction  of  the  river  with 
Kishacoquillas  creek,  together  with  the  streets,  lanes,  alleys  and  the 
center  of  said  borough,  agreeable  to  the  plan  of  the  town  of  Lewis- 
town,  as  laid  out  by  the  trustees,  etc. 

The  county  jail  was  the  first  public  building  erected  under  the  pro- 
visions of  Section  9  of  the  act  of  erection.  In  1790  the  county  com- 
missioners ordered  that  a  log  building,  two  stories  in  height,  with  an 
outside  stairway,  be  built  upon  lot  No.  86,  at  the  northwest  corner 
of  Market  and  Wayne  streets,  the  lower  story  of  which  should  be  fitted 
up  for  a  jail  and  the  upper  one  for  a  court-room.  Sessions  of  the 
court  were  held  in  this  upper  room  until  1795,  when  the  commissioners 
ordered  an  addition  of  fifteen  by  twenty  feet  to  be  made  to  the  jail. 
This  addition  was  completed  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  the  records  of 
November  5,  1795,  showing  that  on  that  day  William  Harper  was  paid 
£74  for  its  construction.  The  old  log  jail  was  demolished  in  1802 
and  in  its  place  was  built  a  stone  jail,  which  in  turn  was  torn  down  in 
1856,  when  the  present  structure  was  erected. 

Although  the  act  establishing  Mifflin  county  authorized  the  com- 
missioners of  the  county  to  "build  and  erect  a  court-house,"  six  years 
passed  before  any  definite  action  was  taken  to  that  end.  Late  in  the 
year  1794,  when  it  was  known  that  an  addition  to  the  jail  was  con- 
templated, a  room  was  rented  from  Robert  Kinney  for  a  court-room. 
During  the  next  three  years  the  court  sessions  were  held  in  James 
Ruglers'  house  and  in  Michael  Foncannon's  and  William  Elliott's  tav- 
erns. In  1795  the  public  square  in  the  center  of  the  town,  where  the 
soldiers'  monument  now  stands,  was  selected  as  a  site  for  the  court- 
house and  the  commissioners  advertised  for  bids  for  the  erection  of 
"a  court-house  of  brick,  two  stories  in  height,  in  accordance  with 
plans,"  etc.  The  contract  was  awarded  to  John  Norris  and  James 
Alexander  and  the  last  payment  was  made  on  April  11,  1799.  The 
total  cost  of  the  building  was  something  over  $5,000.  It  was  evidently 
not  large  enough  to  accommodate   all  the  county  offices,   for  at  the 


I02  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXL-\TA    VALLEY 

same  session  when  final  payment  was  made  to  the  contractors  it  was 
ordered  that  Samuel  Edmiston,  the  prothonotary,  "should  receive  com- 
pensation out  of  the  county  treasury  for  his  expense  in  furnishing  an 
apartment  for  holding  the  public  offices  of  the  county,  and  also  the 
adjourned  Courts  of  Common  Pleas  and  Orphans'  Courts."  Just  how 
long  this  arrangement  continued  is  not  certain,  but  the  quarters  fitted 
up  by  Mr.  Edmiston  were  probably  used  until  the  county  erected  a 
building  for  the  public  offices. 

On  November  24,  181 5.  the  county  commissioners  advertised  for 
proposals  for  building  public  offices  according  to  the  plans  and  specifi- 
cations in  the  hands  of  David  Reynolds.  Early  the  following  year 
work  was  commenced  on  the  building,  which  stood  where  the  present 
court-house  stands,  and  which  was  completed  before  the  end  of  the 
year.  No  further  changes  were  made  in  the  provisions  for  conducting 
the  county  business  for  more  than  twenty  years.  In  November,  1S37, 
the  grand  jury,  after  investigating  the  needs  of  the  county,  made  the 
following  report : 

"To  the  Honorable,  the  Judges  of  the  Court  of  General  Quarter 
Session  of  the  Peace,  now  holding  for  the  County  of  Miftlin. 

"The  Grand  Inquest  of  the  body  of  the  County  of  Mifflin,  inquiring 
for  the  interest  of  the  same,  would  respectfully  present  that,  after 
having  gone  through  our  other  duties,  think  it  very  proper,  imder  all 
the  circumstances  of  the  case,  to  recommend  the  removal  and  rebuild- 
ing in  a  permanent  manner,  in  some  suitable  place  the  Court-House 
and  Public  offices  of  the  said  Coimty  (believing  as  we  do  that  within  a 
very  few  years  past  the  present  Court-House  has  cost  in  repairs  a  sum 
very  near  equal  to  what  would  be  required  to  rebuild  the  same  in  a 
more  suitable  place).  We  do  therefore  recommend  the  taking  down 
of  both  the  Court-House  and  offices  and  rebuilding  the  whole  together 
in  a  systematic  manner  out  of  the  materials  that  may  be  used  from  the 
old  buildings  in  addition  to  such  new  materials  as  may  be  necessary. 
And  think  it  would  be  proper  for  the  County  Commissioners  to  make 
provision  in  due  time  for  such  little  expense  as  may  be  necessary  to 
carry  out  the  aforesaid  project  under  the  order  and  instruction  of 
the  Court  aforesaid  (believing  as  we  do  that  money  expended  with  due 
economy  towards  building  and  keeping  in  a  proper  state  of  repair 
such  buildings  as  the  public  business  of  the  County  indispensably  re- 
c^uires  for  public  convenience,  as  also  for  the  safe  keeping  of  Public 
Records,  etc.,  can  never  be  a  public  loss). 

"D.   R.   Reynolds,  Foreman." 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  103 

The  report  was  not  approved  until  November  8,  1839,  and  then 
nearly  three  years  elapsed  before  any  active  steps  were  taken  to  carry 
out  its  recommendations.  In  1842  the  commissioners  purchased  of 
R.  C.  Hale  the  lot  at  the  northwest  corner  of  ^lain  street  and  the 
public  square  and  entered  into  a  contract  with  Holman  &  Simon  for 
the  erection  of  a  new  court-house  thereon.  The  building  was  com- 
pleted in  December,  1843,  when  it  was  accepted  by  the  commissioners, 
its  total  cost  having  been  about  $15,000.  The  old  court-house  was  torn 
down  the  following  year.  The  dimensions  of  the  new  court-house 
were  thirty-two  by  forty-eight  feet,  the  several  county  offices  being 
located  upon  the  first  floor,  the  second  story  being  fitted  up  for  use  of 
the  court  and  the  jury  rooms.  Across  the  front  ran  a  portico  ten  feet 
wide. 

As  the  county  increased  in  population  more  room  was  found  to 
be  necessary  for  the  transaction  of  the  public  business  and  the  preser- 
vation of  the  public  records.  In  November,  1877,  the  grand  jury  made 
a  recommendation  that  the  court-house  be  enlarged  and  put  in  good 
repair.  A  similar  recommendation  was  made  by  the  same  body  the 
following  April,  and  on  April  20,  1878,  the  board  of  commissioners 
adopted  a  resolution  "to  repair  and  enlarge  the  court-house  as  recom- 
mended by  the  grand  jury,  provided  the  expense  shall  not  exceed  ten 
thousand  dollars."  Plans  for  the  improvement  were  made  by  Daniel 
Ziegler,  and  on  May  9,  1878,  a  contract  was  made  with  Buyers,  Guyger 
&  Company  to  build  an  addition  to  the  north  end  of  the  old  court-house 
and  make  certain  specified  repairs  for  the  sunTi  of  $7,245.  Subsequently 
it  was  decided  to  add  the  tower  and  to  make  some  other  minor  changes, 
which  brought  the  entire  cost  of  the  addition  and  repairs  up  to  $9,095. 
The  court-house  as  thus  improved  remains  in  use  to  the  present  time, 
but  further  alterations  are  under  contemplation  and  will  probably  be 
made  in  the  near  future. 

What  is  known  as  the  Lewistown  riot  occurred  about  two  years 
after  the  county  was  organized  and  created  considerable  excitement. 
Reports  of  the  afifair  are  somewhat  contradictory,  as  is  always  the 
case  in  a  controversy,  the  adherents  to  each  side  desiring  to  tell  the 
story  in  such  a  way  as  to  strengthen  their  cause.  It  appears  that  in 
the  summer  of  1791  Governor  Mifflin  appointed  Samuel  Bryson  one 
of  the  associate  justices  of  the  Mifflin  county  court  of  common  pleas. 


I04  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

Prior  to  his  receiving  this  appointment,  Mr.  Bryson  had  for  several 
years  held  the  office  of  county  lieutenant  and  as  such  "had  excited  the 
determined  enmity  of  two  men  who  were  ambitious  of  being  colonels 
of  militia,  and  against  whom  (as  vmfit  persons)  Mr.  Bryson,  as  County 
Lieutenant,  had  made  representations."  The  meml)ers  of  their  re- 
spective regiments  had  elected  the  two  men,  according  to  the  custom 
of  that  day,  though  the  right  of  Mr.  Bryson  to  set  aside  the  election 
and  issue  commissions  to  men  of  his  own  selection  could  not  be  ques- 
tioned under  the  militia  law.  That  he  did  so  aroused  the  indignation 
of  many  of  the  men  belonging  to  the  two  regiments  and  when  he  was 
appointed  associate  judge  some  of  those  whose  will  had  been  set  at 
defiance  resolved  that  he  should  not  be  permitted  to  serve  in  that  ca- 
pacity. 

William  \\'ilson,  a  brother  to  the  sheriff  of  ]^Iifflin  county,  and  David 
Walker  organized  a  force  of  some  forty  men,  all  of  whom  were  armed, 
and  at  the  head  of  this  little  army  of  insurgents  marched,  with  a  fife 
playing,  to  Lewistown,  "with  the  avowed  determination  to  seize  upon 
the  person  of  Judge  Bryson  whilst  on  the  bench,  drag  him  from  thence, 
oblige  him  to  resign  his  commission."  etc. 

The  movements  of  these  men  had  been  conducted  with  such  se- 
crecv  that  the  people  of  Lewistown  knew  nothing  of  what  was  going 
on  until  about  an  hour  before  the  rioters  appeared.  What  happened 
when  they  did  appear  in  Lewistown  is  probably  best  told  in  the  report 
of  John  Clarke,  deputy  state's  attorney,  to  Judge  Thomas  Smith,  who 
was  appointed  judge  of  the  Fourth  judicial  district  soon  after  the  oc- 
cunence.     Says  ]\Ir.  Clarke: 

"On  Monday,  the  12th  of  September.  1791,  the  Hon.  William 
Brown,  Samuel  Bryson  and  James  Armstrong,  Esquires,  met  in  the 
forenoon  in  order  to  open  the  court  and  proceed  to  business ;  but 
Thomas  Beale,  Esquire,  one  of  the  associate  judges,  not  having  arrived, 
their  Honours  waited  until  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  at  which 
time  he  arrived,  and  was  requested  to  proceed  with  them  and  the  of- 
ficers of  the  court  to  the  court-house.  He  declined  going,  and  the 
procession  moved  on  to  the  court-house,  where  the  judges'  commissions 
were  read,  the  court  opened,  and  the  officers  and  the  attorneys  of  the 
court  sworn  in,  and  the  court  adjourned  till  ten  o'clock  ne.xt  morning. 

"About  nine  o'clock,  while  preparing  business  to  lay  before  the 
Grand  Jury,   I  received  information  that  a  large  body  of  men   were 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  105 

assembled  below  the  Long  Narrows,  at  David  Jordan's  tavern,  on  the 
Juniata,  and  were  armed  with  gnns,  swords  and  pistols,  with  an  avowed 
intention  to  proceed  to  Lewistown  and  seize  Judge  Bryson  on  the 
bench  and  drag  him  from  his  seat,  and  march  him  off  before  them,  and 
otherwise  illtreat  him.  This  information  was  instantlv  communicated 
to  Messrs.  Brown,  Bryson  and  Armstrong,  the  judges,  who  agreed  with 

me  that  Samuel  Edmiston,   Esq.,  the  prothonotary.  Judge  Beale, 

Stewart,  Esq.,  William  Bell,  Esq.,  should,  with  George  Wilson,  Esq., 
the  sheriff  of  Mifflin  county,  proceed  and  meet  the  rioters ;  and  the 
sheriff  was  commanded  to  inquire  of  them,  their  object  and  intention, 
and,  if  hostile,  to  order  them  to  disperse,  and  tell  them  the  court  was 
alarmed  at  their  proceedings. 

■"Two  iiours  after  this  the  court  opened  and  a  grand  jury  was 
impanelled.  A  fife  was  heard  playing,  and  some  guns  fired,  and  im- 
mediately the  mob  appeared  marching  toward  the  court-house,  with 
three  men  on  horseback  in  front,  having  the  gentlemen  that  had  been 
sent  to  meet  them  under  guard  in  the  rear;  all  of  whom,  on  their  ar- 
rival at  Lewistown,  they  permitted  to  go  at  large,  except  the  sheriff, 
whom  four  of  their  number  kept  guard  over.  The  court  ordered  me, 
as  the  representative  of  the  Commonwealth,  to  go  out  and  meet  them, 
remonstrate  against  their  proceedings,  and  warn  them  of  their  danger; 
wdiich  order  was  obeyed.  But  all  endeavors  were  in  vain,  the  mob  cry- 
ing out,  'March  on!  March  on!  Draw  your  sword  on  him!  Ride 
over  him!"  I  seized  the  reins  of  the  bridle  that  the  principal  com- 
mander   held,    viz.,    Wilson,    Esq.,    brother    of    the    sheriff 

aforesaid,  who  was  well  mounted  and  well  dressed,  with  a  sword,  and, 
I  think,  two  pistols  belted  around  him,  a  cocked  hat,  and  one  or  two 
feathers  in  it.  He  said  he  would  not  desist,  but  at  all  events  proceed 
and  take  Judge  Bryson  oft"  the  bench,  and  march  him  down  the  Nar- 
rows to  the  judge's  farm,  and  make  him  sign  a  paper  that  he  would 
never  sit  there  as  Judge  again. 

"The  mob  still  crying  out  'March  on!'  he  drew  his  sword  and  told 
me  he  must  hurt  me  unless  I  would  let  go  the  reins.  The  crowd  pushed 
forward  and  nearly  pressed  me  down;  one  of  them,  as  I  learned  after- 
ward, a  nephew  of  Judge  Beale,  presented  his  pistol  at  my  breast, 
with  a  full  determination  to  shoot  me.  I  let  the  reins  go  and  walked 
before  them  until  I  arrived  at  the  stairs  on  the  outside  of  the  court- 
house, when  Judge  Armstrong  met  me  and  said.  "Since  nothing  else 
will  do,  let  usdefend  the  stairs.'  We  instantly  ascended,  and  Mr.  Ham- 
ilton and  the  gentlemen  of  the  bar  and  many  citizens;  and  the  rioters, 
headed  by  William  Wilson,  Colonel  Walker  and  Colonel  Holt,  came 
forward,  and  the  general  cry  was.  'March  on !  damn  you ;  proceed  and 
take  him!'     Judge  Armstrong  replied,  'You  damned  rascals,  come  on! 


io6  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY 

we  will  defend  the  court  ourselves,  and  before  you  shall  take  Judge 
Bryson  you  shall  kill  me  and  many  others,  which  seems  to  be  your 
intention,  and  which  you  may  do!'  At  this  awful  moment  one  Holt 
seized  Judge  Armstrong  by  the  arm  with  the  intent  to  pull  him  down 
the  stairs,  but  he  extricated  himself.  Holt's  brother  then  got  a  drawn 
sword  and  put  it  into  his  hands  and  damned  him  to  run  the  rascal 
through;  and  Wilson  drew  his  sword  on  me  with  great  rage,  and  young 
Beale  his  sword,  and  cocked  his  pistol  and  presented  it.  I  told 
them  thev  might  kill  me,  but  the  judge  they  could  not,  nor  should  they 
take  him;  and  the  words  'Fire  away!'  were  shouted  through  the  mob. 
I  put  my  hand  on  his  shoulder  and  begged  him  to  consider  where  he 
was,  who  I  was,  and  reflect  but  for  a  moment.  I  told  him  to  withdraw 
the  men  and  appoint  any  two  or  three  of  the  most  respectable  of  his 
people  to  meet  in  half  an  hour  and  try  to  settle  the  dispute.  He  agreed, 
and.  with  difficulty,  got  them  away  from  the  court-house.  Mr.  Hamil- 
ton then  went  with  me  to  Mr.  Alexander's  tavern,  and  in  \\'ilson  and 
Walker  came,  and  also  Sterrett,  whom  I  discovered  to  be  their  chief 
counsellor. 

"Proposals  were  made  by  me  that  they  should  return  home,  offer 
no  insult  to  Judge  Bryson  o'r  the  court,  and  prefer  to  the  governor  a 
decent  petition,  stating  their  grievances,  if  they  had  any,  that  might 
be  laid  before  the  legislature;  and  that,  in  the  meantime,  the  judge 
should  not  sit  on  the  bench  of  this  court.  They  seemed  agreed  and 
our  mutual  honor  to  be  pledged:  but  Sterrett,  who  pretended  not  to 
be  concerned,  stated  that  great  delay  would  take  place,  that  injuries 
had  been  received  which  demanded  instant  redress,  and  objected  to  the 
power  of  the  governor  as  to  certain  points  proposed.  At  this  point 
young  Beale  and  Holt  came  up  (the  former  with  arms)  and  insisted 
on  Wilson's  joining  them,  and  broke  up  the  conference.  I  followed, 
and  on  the  field  among  the  rioters  told  Wilson,  'Your  object  is  that 
Judge  Bryson  leave  the  bench  and  not  sit  on  it  in  this  court?'  He  and 
Wafker  said  'Yes.'  'Will  you  promise  to  disperse  and  go  home  and 
offer  him  no  insult?'  He  said  'Yes,'  and  our  mutual  honor  was  then 
pledged  for  the  performance  of  the  agreement. 

''^]Mr.  Hamilton  proceeded  to  the  court,  told  the  judge,  and  he  left 
his  seat  and  retired.  I  scarce  had  arrived  until  the  fife  began  to  play, 
and  the  whole  of  the  rioters  came  on  to  the  court-house,  then  headed 
by  Wilson.  I  met  them  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  and  told  them  the 
judge  was  gone,  in  pursuance  of  the  agreement,  and  charged  them  with 
a  breach  of  the  word  and  forfeiture  of  honor,  and  Walker  said  it  was 
so,  but  he  could  not  prevail  on  them.  Wilson  said  he  would  have  the 
judge  and  attempted  going  up  the  stairs.  I  prevented  him,  and  told 
him  he  should  not,  unless  he  took  off  his  military  accoutrements.     He 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY  107 

said  he  had  an  address  to  present  and  complied  with  my  request,  and 
presented  it,  signed  'The  People.'  Young  Beale,  at  the  moment  I  was 
contending  with  Wilson,  cocked  and  presented  his  pistol  at  my  breast, 
and  insisted  that  Wilson  and  all  of  them  should  go,  but  on  my  offering 
to  decide  it  by  combat  with  him,  he  declined  it,  and  by  this  means 
they  went  oii'  swearing  and  said   that  they   had  been   out-generaled. 

"The  next  day  Colonel  McFarland,  with  his  regiment,  came  down 
and  offered  to  defend  the  court,  and  addressed  it;  the  court  answered, 
and  stated  that  there  was  no  occasion,  and  thanked  him. 

"Judge  Bryson  read  a  paper,  stating  the  ill-treatment  he  had  re- 
ceived, and  mentioned  that  no  fear  of  danger  prevented  him  from 
taking  and  keeping  his  seat ;  but  that  he  understood  that  an  engagement 
had  been  entered  into  by  his  friends  that  he  should  not.  and  on  that 
account  only  he  was  prevented.  The  court  adjourned  until  two  o'clock 
that  day,  and  were  proceeding  to  open  it  with  the  sheriff,  coroner  and 
constable  in  front,  when  they  observed  that  Judge  Beale  was  at  the 
house  of  one  Con.  They  halted  and  requested  the  sherifT  to  wait  on 
him  and  request  him  to  walk  with  them.  He  returned  and  said  the 
judge  would  not  walk  or  sit  with  Bryson,  and  addressed  Judge  Bryson 
with  warmth,  who  replied  in  a  becoming  manner.  The  sheriff  struck 
at  him  and  kicked  also.  Judge  Armstrong  seized  the  sheriff,  and  com- 
manded the  peace  and  took  the  sheriff's  rod  from  him;  the  coroner 
took  his  place,  and  the  sheriff  was  brought  up  before  the  court.  I 
moved  that  he  might  be  committed  to  gaol;  and  his  mittimus  being 
written  and  signed,  the  court  ordered  the  coroner  and  gaoler  to  take 
him,  and  he  submitted.  The  court  adjourned.  After  night  the  drum 
beat  and  Holt  collected  about  seventy  men,  who  repeatedly  huzzaed, 
crying  out  'Liberty  or  death!'  and  he  off'ered  to  rescue  the  sheriff',  but 
the  sheriff'  refused.  At  ten  o'clock  at  night  I  was  informed  expresses 
were  sent  down  the  Narrows  to  collect  men  to  rescue  the  sheriff,  and 
Major  Edmiston  informed  me  he  was  sorry  for  his  conduct  and  offered 
to  beg  the  court's  pardon  and  to  enter  into  recognizance.  I  communi- 
cated this  to  the  Judges  Brown  and  Armstrong,  and  requested  they 
would  write  to  the  gaoler  to  permit  him  to  come  down.  They  did,  and 
the  sheriff  came  with  Major  Edmiston,  begged  pardon  of  every  mem- 
ber of  the  court  but  Judge  Bryson.  who  was  not  present,  and  entered 
into  recognizances  to  appear  at  the  next  sessions. 

"The  next  day  near  three  hundred  men  were  assembled  below  the 
Narrows,  and  I  prevailed  on  some  gentlemen  to  go  down  and  disperse 
them;  and  upon  being  assured  the  sheriff"  was  out  of  gaol,  they  returned 
to  their  respective  homes,  and  the  court  have  finished  all  business. 
Nothing  further  requiring  the  attendance  of  the  grand  jury,  the  court 
■dismissed  them  and  broke  up.     I  must  not  omit  to  inform  you  that 


io8  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

Judge  Beale  had  declared,  during  the  riot,  in  court,  that  he  would  not 
sit  on  the  bench  with  Judge  Bryson,  and  that  both  he  and  said  Stewart 
appeared  to  countenance  the  rioters,  and  are  deeply  concerned. 

"I  must  now  close  the  narrative  with  saying  that,  owing  to  the 
spirit  and  firmness  of  Judge  Armstrong  and  the  whole  of  the  bar,  I  was 
enabled  to  avert  the  dreadful  blow  aimed  at  Judge  Bryson,  and  to  keep 
order  and  subordination  in  court;  and  unless  the  most  vigorous  meas- 
ures are  exerted  soon,  it  will  be  impossible  ever  to  support  the  laws 
of  the  state  in  that  county,  or  to  punish  those  who  dare  transgress.  The 
excise  law  is  execrated  by  the  banditti,  and  from  every  information  I 
expect  the  collection  of  the  revenue  will  be  opposed. 

'T  am  happy  to  add,  the  dispute  which  originated  by  mistake  between 
Huntingdon  and  IMifilin  counties  is  happily  closed  in  the  most  amicable 
manner,  without  any  prosecution  in  ]\Iifflin.  I  am.  Sir,  your  most 
obedient, 

"John  Clark,  Dy.  St.  Attorney." 

The  reference  in  the  last  paragraph  of  ]\Ir.  Clarke's  report  to  a  dis- 
pute between  Huntingdon  and  ilitiflin  counties  relates  to  the  ditTerence 
of  opinion  regarding  the  location  of  the  boundary  line  between  those 
two  counties.  An  account  of  this  dispute,  the  arrest  of  the  sheriff  of 
Huntingdon  county,  his  release  on  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  and  the 
final  adjustment  of  the  difficulty  may  be  found  in  Chapter  IV. 

Mifflin  county  was  reduced  in  size  by  the  formation  of  Center 
county  on  February  13,  1800.  Some  changes  were  made  in  the  bound- 
aries in  1912,  when  the  line  between  Huntingdon  and  ]\Iifflin  counties 
was  more  clearly  defined  by  an  act  of  the  legislature  and  a  part  of 
Beaver  Dam  township  was  annexed  to  Mifflin.  The  following  year, 
upon  the  erection  of  Union  county  the  Beaver  Dam  territory  was  an- 
nexed to  the  new  county,  but  in  1819  it  was  restored  to  Mifflin  and 
now  forms  a  part  of  Decatur  township.  By  the  act  of  March  2,  183 1, 
all  that  portion  of  the  county  lying  southwest  of  Shade  mountain  and 
the  Blue  ridge  was  cut  off  to  form  the  county  of  Juniata,  leaving: 
Mifflin  with  an  area  of  about  370  square  miles.  Its  greatest  length 
is  about  thirty  and  its  greatest  width  about  fifteen  miles.  It  is  bounded 
on  the  northwest  by  Center  county ;  on  the  north  and  east  by  Union  and 
Snyder;  on  the  southeast  by  Juniata;  and  on  the  south  and  west  by 
Huntingdon. 

For  many  years  the  line  between  Huntingdon  and  Mifflin  counties, 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  109 

from  the  Juniata  river  to  the  Center  county  line  was  in  a  state  of  uncer- 
tainty, both  counties  claiming  certain  tracts  of  territory  along  the 
boundary.  The  legislature  of  1876  passed  an  act  authorizing  the  run- 
ning and  marking  of  the  line.  This  act.  for  some  reason,  failed  to 
accomplish  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  intended,  and  in  1895  was 
passed  a  supplementary  act,  providing  for  the  appointment  of  five  com- 
missioners to  run  and  mark  the  line.  On  June  24,  1895,  William 
Huey,  D.  C.  Peachey,  Jacob  K.  Metz  and  others,  citizens  of  Menno 
township,  Mifilin  county,  presented  to  the  court  of  quarter  sessions  of 
that  county  a  petition  in  which  it  was  set  forth :  "That  the  county 
line  between  Huntingdon  and  Mii^in  counties  is  in  dispute  from  the 
line  of  Centre  county  to  the  Juniata  river;  that  it  has  never  been  run 
and  marked  as  required  by  the  acts  of  the  assembly  establishing  said 
counties;  that  persons  living  in  the  disputed  territory  labor  under  great 
inconvenience  as  to  their  taxes,  schools,  liens,  roads,  etc.,  on  account 
of  the  imcertaint)'  of  the  county  line  location.  They  therefore  pray 
the  court  to  appoint  a  surveyor  as  required  by  the  act  of  the  assembly, 
approved  the  22nd  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1895,  and  to  appoint  a  surveyor 
as  provided  for  in  said  act,  to  the  end  that  a  commission  may  be  formed 
in  conjunction  with  similar  appointments  to  be  made  by  Huntingdon 
county,  for  the  purpose  of  designating,  surveying  and  marking  the 
said  division  line  between  the  said  counties  of  Huntingdon  and  Mif- 
flin," etc. 

A  commission  was  accordingly  formed  to  run  and  mark  the  line. 
It  consisted  of  J.  Murray  Africa,  of  Huntingdon  county;  John  C. 
Swigart,  of  Mifflin;  W.  P.  Mitchell,  of  Clinton;  John  Campbell,  of 
Fayette:  and  M.  E.  Shaugnessy,  of  Union.  On  March  8,  1897,  these 
commissioners  made  a  report,  favoring  the  claims  of  Huntingdon 
county.  Mifflin  county,  through  her  attorneys,  F.  W.  Culbertson  and 
John  A.  McKee,  filed  a  bill  of  thirteen  exceptions,  to  wit:  i.  That 
the  act  under  which  the  commission  acted  was  unconstitutional.  2. 
That  all  the  surveyors  were  not  present  at  all  times.  3.  That  the 
commissioners  of  Huntingdon  county  paid  or  promised  to  pay  ten 
dollars  a  day  to  the  surveyors,  etc.  4.  That  the  line  was  not  run  in 
accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  acts  erecting  the  counties  of 
Huntingdon  and  Mifflin.  5.  That  the  commissioners,  in  running  the 
line,  disregarded  the  evidence  suljmitted.     6.  That  the  line  run  by  them 


no  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

was  arbitrary  and  unwarranted  by  the  testimony.  7.  That  the  com- 
missioners, or  a  majority  of  them,  prejudged  the  case  and  determined 
on  the  location  of  the  line  before  testimony  was  heard.  8.  That  the 
commissioners  of  Huntingdon  county  paid  money  to  members  of  the 
county  line  commission  from  time  to  time,  contrary  to  their  duty  in 
the  premises,  and  allowed  them  mileage.  9.  That  the  county  line  com- 
missioners were  paid  money  before  the  work  was  commenced.  10.  That 
M.  E.  Shaugnessy  declared  he  would  favor  Huntingdon  county  unless 
Mifflin  county  paid  him  a  certain  bill,  and  that  he  could  get  all  the 
money  he  wanted  from  Huntingdon  county.  11.  That  the  line  was 
on  an  entirely  different  location  from  any  line  or  survey  previously 
made  and  that  there  was  no  evidence  to  sustain  it.  12.  That  the  county 
line  commission  was  not  authorized  to  establish  a  new  line,  but  to  "desig- 
nate, survey  and  mark  the  line,"  on  evidence,  etc.  13.  That  said  county 
line  commissioners  have  embraced  the  village  of  Allensville  in  Hunting- 
don county,  when  said  village  and  all  lands  up  to  the  lived  to  line  have 
been  in  Mifflin  county  for  more  than  one  hundred  years  and  so  recog- 
nized by  both  the  counties  of  Huntingdon  and  Mifflin. 

Huntingdon  county  contended  that  the  act  of  1779,  fixing  the  line 
between  Bedford  and  Northumberland  counties,  which  is,  or  should 
be,  the  line  between  Huntingdon  and  Mifflin  counties,  made  the  water- 
shed of  Kishacoquillas  valley  the  line,  and  that  the  commissioners  had 
run  the  line  in  accordance  therewith. 

John  Stewart,  of  Chambersburg,  was  appointed  a  special  judge 
to  hear  the  arguments  on  the  exceptions.  The  case  was  argued  before 
him  on  April  5  and  6,  1897,  and  on  Alay  i8th  he  overruled  the  ex- 
ceptions and  approved  the  report  of  the  county  line  commission.  On 
June  30,  1897,  the  report  of  the  commission  was  presented  to  the 
court  of  quarter  sessions  of  Mifflin  county,  which  refused  to  approve 
it.  The  records  were  certified  to  the  superior  court  on  March  15, 
1898,  and  on  November  17,  1898,  that  tribunal  handed  down  a  decree 
"That  the  assignment  of  error  filed  by  Huntingdon  county  is  overruled 
and  the  appeal  from  the  order  of  June  30.  1897,  is  dismissed  without 
prejudice,  however,  to  the  right  of  the  commissioners  of  Huntingdon 
county  to  move  the  court  of  quarter  sessions  to  Mifflin  county  to 
appoint  a  time  for  hearing  their  petition,  at  which  the  commissioners 
of  Mifflin  county  may  present  their  exceptions  to  the   report  of  the 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  iii 

county  line  commission  and  the  evidence  taken  in  support  of  and  against 
the  same  may  be  submitted,"  etc. 

Huntingdon  county  then  appealed  to  the  supreme  court  for  a  change 
of  venue  from  the  Mifflin  county  court  of  quarter  sessions.  On  Octo- 
ber 30,  1899,  the  supreme  court  granted  an  order  restraining  the 
Mifflin  county  court  "from  proceeding  to  hear  the  case  until  the  rule 
pending  in  this  court  for  a  change  of  venue  is  disposed  of."  On  Novem- 
ber 6,  1899,  the  supreme  court  dismissed  the  petition  of  Huntingdon 
county  for  a  change  of  venue  at  the  cost  of  the  petitioners  and  that 
ended  the  case,  the  boundary  line  remaining  as  it  has  been  generally 
recognized  since  the  formation  of  Mifflin  county  in  1789. 

Following  is  a  civil  list  of  Mifflin  county,  as  complete  as  could  be 
obtained  from  the  records : 

Sheriffs — George  Wilson,  1789;  William  Wilson,  1792;  Andrew 
Nelson,  1796;  William  Elliott,  1798;  William  Sterrett,  1800;  Edward 
McCarty,  1803;  William  Scott,  1805:  William  Bell,  1806:  John  Mc- 
Dowell, 1809;  Daniel  Christy,  1812;  Thomas  Horrell,  1815";  Thomas 
Beale,  1818;  John  Beale,  1821;  Samuel  Edmiston,  1821;  George  Mc- 
Culloch,  1824;  Foster  Milliken,  1827;  Samuel  W.  Stuart,  1830;  James 
Gibboney,  1833;  Robert  Matthews,  1836;  James  Turner,  1839;  John 
Stoneroad,  1842;  Robert  McManigal,  1845;  Davis  M.  Contner,  1848; 
William  Shimp,  185 1;  Jacob  Muthersbough,  1854;  Thomas  E. 
Williams,  1857;  C.  C.  Stanbarger,  i860;  Davis  M.  Contner,  1863; 
William  T.  McEwen,  1866;  William  Willis  (commissioned  on  Febru- 
ary 20,  1869,  and  succeeded  by  Mitchell  Jones  on  November  13,  1869)  ; 
David  Muthersbough,  1872;  Joseph  W.  Fleming,  1875  (first  sheriff 
elected  under  the  present  constitution);  George  Buffington,  1878;  John 
S.  Garrett,  1881 ;  C.  Stewart  Garrett,  1884:  William  Ryan,  1887; 
Henry  G.  Isenberg,  1890;  William  J.  Blett,  1893;  Joseph  Collins,  1896; 
William  P.  Schell,  1899;  Mitchell  Bricker,  1902;  A.  C.  Kemberling, 
1905;  Samuel  H.  Boyer,  1908;  Allen  Fultz,  191 1  (Mr.  Fultz  died  soon 
after  entering  upon  his  duties  and  M.  M.  Bricker  was  appointed  to 
the  vacancy). 

Prothonotarics — Samuel  Edmiston,  1789;  John  Norris,  1800; 
William  P.  Maclay,  1S09;  David  Revnolds,  1816;  Ephraim  Banks, 
1818;  Robert  Craig',  182 1 ;  William  Mitchell,  1824;  Abraham  S.  Wilson, 
1830;  David  R.  Reynolds,  1832;  William  B.  Johnston,  1836;  William 
Brothers,  1837;  James  Gibboney,  1839;  David  R.  Reynolds,  1841  ;  John 
R.  McDowell,  1841  (David  R.  Reynolds  served  from  April  to  Novem- 
ber only);  Zachariah  Rittenhouse,  1847;  Thomas  F.  McCoy,  1850; 
Henry   J.    Walters,    1856;    Nathaniel    C.    Wilson,    1862;    William   H. 


112  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Bratton,  1866:  William  S.  Settle,  1S74;  Lafayette  Webb.  1883:  Frank 
S.  McCabe,  1898;  Stewart  M.  Peters,  191 1.  Lafayette  Webb  held  the 
office  for  five  terms  and  Frank  S.  McCabe  for  four,  his  last  term 
being  four  years  owing  to  the  constitutional  amendment  fixing  the 
term  of  all  county  officers  at  four  years. 

Treasurers — Samuel  Armstrong,  1790;  Samuel  Montgomery,  1793; 
James  Alexander.  1794;  John  Norris,  1797;  Andrew  Keiser,  181 1; 
Joseph  B.  Ard,  1812;  Robert  Robison,  1815:  William  Brisbin.  1819; 
Joseph  B.  Ard,  1822;  Henry  Kulp,  1824:  Joseph  B.  Ard,  1826:  William 
Mitchell,  1830;  James  Dickson,  1832;  Samuel  Edmiston,  1834;  James 
Burns,  1835;  Charles  Ritz,  1838;  James  Burns,  1841.  L'p  to  this  time 
the  office  of  county  treasurer  had  been  filled  by  appointment.  The  office 
was  then  made  elective,  with  terms  of  two  years  until  the  adoption  of 
the  constitution  of  1874,  which  lengthened  the  term  to  three  years. 
The  treasurers  elected  are  as  follows:  Lewis  Hoover,  1841 ;  James 
Cunningham,  1843:  John  C.  Sigler..  1845:  Nathaniel  Fear.  1847;  Robert 
H.  McClintic,  1849;  E)aniel  Ziegler,  1851;  William  Morrison,  1853; 
Henry  Zerbe,  1855;  John  B.  Selheimer,  1857;  William  C.  Vines,  1859; 
Robert  W.  Patton.  1861 ;  Amos  Hoot,  1863;  Charles  Gibbs,  1865; 
Joseph  McFadden,  1867;  John  Swan,  1869;  John  A.  Shimp.  1871 ; 
Jesse  Mendenhall.  1873:  James  ]\I.  Nolte.  1875;  Joseph  A.  Fichthorn, 
1878;  James  Firoved,  1881 ;  Robert  Myers.  1884;  C.  Stewart  Garrett, 
1887;  William  Ryan,  1890;  Lewis  N.  Slagle.  1893;  George  R.  Mc- 
Clintic, 1896;  W.  F.  Berlew,  1899;  Allen  A.  Orr.  1902:  C.  A.  Shunk- 
wiler,  1905:  Oliver  O.  Marks,  1908:  S.  Will  Shunckwiler,  191 1. 

County  Commissioners — A  full  board  of  three  commissioners  was 
elected  in  1789,  soon  after  the  organization  of  the  county.  From  that 
time  until  1808  the  elections  were  somewhat  irregular,  as  the  following 
list  will  show.  From  1808  to  1875,  with  few  exceptions,  one  commis- 
sioner was  elected  annually.  Since  1875  a  full  board  of  three  members 
has  been  elected  every  three  years.  The  list — 1789,  James  Lyon,  Robert 
Little,  Enoch  Hastings;  1793,  Thomas  Anderson;  1794,  John  Wilson, 
Joseph  Sharp;  1795,  James  Harris,  George  McClelland;  1796.  Joseph 
Edmiston,  John  McConnal;  1797,  William  Bratton;  1799,  William 
Lyon,  Ezra  Doty;  1800,  Andrew  Banks,  John  Piper;  1801,  Nicholas 
Arnold;  1802,  John  Horrell;  1803,  William  Alexander;  1805,  John 
Kelley;  1806,  Jonathan  Rothrock;  1808.  William  Arbuckle;  1809,  Henry 
Steely;  1810,  Joseph  Sellers;  181 1,  Francis  Boggs;  1812,  Samuel 
Myers;  1813,  George  Hanawalt ;  1814,  Henry  Burkholder;  1815,  John 
Kinser;  1816,  Samuel  W' allick ;  1817,  Christopher  Horrell;  1818,  Louis 
Evans;  1819,  Henry  Long;  1820,  David  Walker;  1821,  William  Ram- 
sey; 1822,  William  Wharton;  1823,  Andrew  Bratton;  1824,  Benjamin 
Law;  1825,  Stephen  Hinds;  1826,  William  Sharoi:;.;  i8-7,  James  Gib- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  113 

boney:  1828,  Thomas  Kerr;  1829,  Francis  Boggs;  1830,  John  Knox; 
1831,  Lukens  Atkinson;  1832,  Robert  Alilbken;  1833,  Francis  McCoy; 
1834,  John  McClenahan;  1835,  Samuel  Alexander,  Casper  Dull;  1836, 
Thomas  I.  Postlethwaite ;  1837,  Isaiah  Coplin;  1838,  Hugh  Conly; 
1839,  Robert  McKee;  1840,  Henry  Leattor;  1841,  James  Brisbin;  1842, 
Samuel  Barr;  1843,  John  Fleming;  1844,  George  Bell;  1845,  Solomon 
Kinser;  1846,  David  Jenkins;  1847.  Levi  Glass;  1848,  William  Custer; 
1849,  Gabriel  Dunmire;  1850,  Thomas  Stroup;  1851,  James  Dorman; 
1852,  Cyrus  Stine;  1853,  James  Fleming;  1854,  Jacob  Hoover;  1855, 
Jacob  Linthurst;  1856.  William  Wilson;  1857,  William  Creighton; 
1858,  John  Peachey;  1859.  Richeson  Bratton;  i860,  Samuel  Brower; 
1861,  John  McDowell;  1862,  Samuel  Drake;  1863,  Moses  Miller,  Oliver 
P.  Smith;  1864,  John  Taylor;  1865,  James  C.  Dysart;  1866,  John  W. 
Kearns;  1867,  Charles  Naginey;  1868,  Thomas  Roup;  1869,  James 
Shehan;  1870,  Henry  S.  Wilson;  1871,  Henry  Garver;  1872,  Moses 
Miller;  1873,  Henry  L.  Close,  Jacob  Stine;  1874.  David  Hiester;  1875, 
David  Hiester,  John  Culbertson.  William  A.  Orr;  1878,  John  Henry, 
Robert  F.  Cupples,  Robert  J.  McNitt;  1881,  John  F.  Stine,  Francis  A. 
Means,  H.  C.  Van  Zandt;  1884,  J.  T.  Wilson,  Samuel  Neese,  Jacob 
Miller;  1887,  J.  T.  Wilson.  B.  C.  Cubbison,  William  P.  Witherow; 
1890,  John  C.  Shahen,  Willis  F.  Kearns,  William  H.  Taylor;  1893, 
Thomas  J.  Novinger,  William  H.  Taylor,  John  C.  Shahen;  1896,  Albert 
W.  Nale,  Thomas  J.  Novinger,  J.  R.  Sterrett;  1899,  Albert  W.  Nale, 
Horatio  G.  Bratton,  J.  R.  Sterrett;  1902,  Horatio  G.  Bratton,  Samuel 
Dell,  S.  W.  Fleming;  1905,  James  H.  Close,  Samuel  Dell,  George  A. 
Butler;  1908,  James  H.  Close,  David  S.  Price,  George  A.  Butler;  191 1, 
David  S.  Price,  William  M.  Baker,  Robert  C.  Houser. 

Registers  and  Recorders — Prior  to  1809  the  duties  of  this  office 
were  performed  by  the  prothonotary.  The  list  of  registers  and  re- 
corders since  1809  is  as  follows:  David  Reynolds,  1809;  David  Milli- 
ken,  1816;  Tobias  Kreider,  1824;  Joshua  Beale,  1830;  Daniel  Eisen- 
beise,  1836;  Enoch  Beale.  1839;  Jesse  R.  Crawford,  1842;  James  L. 
Mcllvaine,  1848;  James  McDowell,  1851 ;  Joseph  S.  Waream,  1857; 
Samuel  Barr,  i860;  Samuel  W.  Barr,  1862;  Michael  Hiney,  1865;  John 
Baum,  1868;  Willis  V.  B.  Coplin,  1874;  McClellan  P.  Wakefield,  1880 
(reelected  in  1883)  ;  William  H.  Mendenhall,  1886;  Samuel  D.  Coldren, 
1889  (four  terms);  Harvey  C.  Burkett,  1901  (three  terms);  William 
B.  Rodgers,  1911. 

Surz'eyors — This  office  was  filed  by  appointment  from  the  time  it 
was  established  in  1812  until  1839.  Michael  M.  Monahan,  1812;  Robert 
Robison,  1829;  David  Hough.  1832;  William  Shaw.  1836;  John  Shaw, 
1839;  David  Hough,  1842;  John  R.  Weeks,  1850;  John  Swartzell.  1853; 
George  H.   Swigart.    1859;  Thomas  F.   Niece.    1862;  John  Swartzell, 


114  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

1868;  William  J.  Swigart,  1874:  David  A.  McXabb.  1877;  David 
Hough,  1880;  \V.  Worrall  Marks,  elected  in  1880.  David  Hough  serving 
from  January  of  that  year  until  the  election:  Grantham  G.  Waters, 
1883;  John  C.  Swigart,  1886  (five  terms);  Samuel  T.  Moore,  1901 
(reelected  in  1904)  ;  John  C.  Swigart,  1907  (reelected  in  191 1). 

Coroners — Like  the  surveyor's  office,  the  coroner's  office  was  made 
elective  in  1839.  Previous  to  that  time  the  coroner  was  appointed. 
James  Ta3dor,  1789;  William  Armstrong,  1791 ;  John  Culbertson,  1792; 
Robert  Steel,  1795;  James  C.  Ramsey,  1798;  Edward  Williams,  1799; 
John  Steel,  1802;  James  Walker,  1805;  James  Glasgow,  1809;  William 
McCrum,  181 1;  John  Stewart,  1826;  Thomas  J.  Postlethwait,  1829; 
James  McDowell,  1830;  John  McKee,  1836;  Christian  Hoover,  1839; 
Frederick  Swartz,  1845:  George  Davis,  1848;  George  Wiley,  1851; 
James  McCord,  1854;  John  McKee,  1857;  John  Musser,  1858;  George 
Miller,  1859;  John  Davis,  1872;  Samuel  Bedford.  1875:  George  Miller, 
1876;  William  ^^^  Trout,  1877;  William  N.  Hoffman,  18S0:  Grantham 
T.  Waters.  1883;  Samuel  A.  Walters,  1886  (failed  to  qualify  and  M. 
M.  Bricker  appointed)  ;  Samuel  A.  Marks,  1S90;  \\'illiam  Printz,  1893; 
Henry  M.  Owens,  1896;  J.  A.  Davidsizer,  1902;  Emerson  Potter,  1905 
(reelected  in  1908  and  again  in  191 1"). 

Directors  of  flic  Poor — On  March  31,  1845,  an  act  was  passed  by 
the  legislature  authorizing  the  people  of  Granville  and  Derry  townships 
and  the  borough  of  Lewistown  to  vote  upon  the  cjuestion  as  to  whether 
a  poor-farm  should  be  purchased,  and  if  a  majority  voted  for  the 
purchase,  the  townships  and  borough  were  each  to  contribute  S2.500 
for  that  purpose.  The  two  townships  and  the  borough  purchased  a 
poor-farm  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  act.  On  April  22, 
1850.  another  act  of  the  legislature  provided  that  if  that  poor-farm 
should  be  sold  a  loan  might  be  made  and  a  county  poor-house  erected. 
The  new  law  was  carried  out  by  the  appointment  of  Samuel  W.  Taylor, 
Isaiah  Coplin,  Samuel  Barr,  David  Jenkins  and  James  Criswell  as 
commissioners  to  purchase  a  suitable  tract  of  land  by  August  i,  1850. 
Thev  purchased  a  tract  of  James  Burns  containing  202  acres,  located 
on  the  Kishacoquillas  creek  a  short  distance  east  of  Lewistown,  for 
$1,600  and  the  buildings  upon  it  were  converted  into  a  home  for  the 
poor.  Three  directors  of  the  poor  were  elected  in  that  year  and  one 
annually  thereafter,  except  that  from  1858  to  1870  the  county  com- 
missioners were  also  made  directors  of  the  poor  in  accordance  with 
an  act  of  the  legislature.  The  list  of  poor  directors  is  as  follows : 
1850,  James  M.  Brown,  August  Wakefield.  Robert  ]\Iathews;  185 1, 
William  M.  Fleming;  1852,  Joshua  ]\Iorrison:  1853,  Adam  Crisman; 
1854,  Henry  Book;  1855,  John  Atkinson;  1856,  John  Peachey;  1857, 
John  Cubbison;   1870,   Alexander  ]\Iorrison,  Christian  Hoover.  James 


HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY  115 

Kyle;  1871,  Joseph  H.  Morrison;  1872,  Charles  Bratton,  Jr.;  1873, 
Andrew  Spanogle;  1874,  Joseph  M.  Fleming;  1875,  William  Greer; 
1876,  William  Wilson;  1877,  Samuel  B.  Wills:  1878,  Samuel 
Mitchell;   1879,   ^lichael  C.   Bratton;    1880,   Robert   M   Taylor;    1881, 

E.  C.  Kearns;  1882,  David  Norton;  1883,  Jacob  Bollenger;  1884,  Rob- 
ert Taylor;  1885,  Joseph  Winter;  1886,  John  R.  Garver;  1887,  A.  Stein- 
berger;  1888,  John  I.  Smith;  1889,  John  R.  Garver;  1890,  Joseph 
McKinstry;  1891,  David  S.  Price;  1892,  Clarence  G.  Milliken;  1893, 
Alexander  Cummins;  1894,  David  S.  Price:  1895,  loseph  M.  Fleming; 
1896,  Alexander  Cummins;  1897,  W.  F.  Riden;  1898,  William  B.  Kyle; 
1899,  S.  C.  Myers;  1900,  George  Moyer;  1901,  Thomas  H.  Bailey;  1902, 
S.  C.  Myers;  1903,  George  Moyer:  1904,  Thomas  H.  Bailey;  1905, 
David  Rhodes;  1906,  Sylvester  Brought;  1907,  James  B.  Smith; 
1908,  Charles  G.  Kauffman;  1909,  George  S.  Kemberly.  Owing  to  a 
change  in  the  law  no  poor  director  was  elected  in  1910.  Thomas  J. 
Hazlett  and  G.  ^^^  Carson  were  elected  in   191 1. 

.  State  Senators — Ezra  Doty,  1808:  William  Beale,  1812;  Alexander 
Dysart,  1816;  George  McCulloch,  1832:  Robert  P.  Maclay,  1838; 
J.  J.  Cunningham,  1850:  Joseph  S.  \\'aream,  1874:  John  B.  Selheimer, 
1884;  Joseph  M.  \^'oods,  1888:  ^^'alter  H.  Parcels,  1896;  James  W. 
McKee,  1900;  William  Manbeck,  1904:  Franklin  Martin,  1912. 

Representatives — John  Oliver.  1790:  James  Banks,  1790;  Ezra 
Doty,  1790;  Jonathan  Rothrock,  1790:  Daniel  Christy,  1820:  Robert 
Alexander,  1823;  John  Patterson,  1828:  Joseph  Kyle,  1828;  John  Cum- 
mings,  1830:  Abraham  S.  Wilson,  1837  and  1840;  James  Burns,  1844; 
\\'illiam  Wilson,  1845;  William  Reed,  1846;  Hugh  McKee,  1847;  Alex- 
ander Gibboney,  1849;  John  Ross,  1850;  Henry  P.  Taylor,  1852; 
Alexander  Gibboney,  1853:  Elijah  Morrison.  1854;  John  Purcell,  1855; 
Charles  Bower,  1857:  David  Withrow,   1858:  George  Bates,   1859 ;'A. 

F.  Gibboney,  i860;  James  H.  Ross,  1861 ;  Holmes  Maclay,  1862;  C. 
C.  Stanbarger,  1863;  James  M.  Brown,  1865;  John  S.  Miller,  1867; 
Henry  S.  Wharton,  1867;  Samuel  T.  Brown  and  Amos  H.  Martin, 
1868;  Henry  J.  McAteer  and  Abraham  Rohrer,  1869;  George  V. 
Mitchell,  1871;  George  Bates,  1872;  Jerome  Hetrick,  1873;  Joseph  W. 
Parker,  1874;  E.  H.  H.  Stackpole,  1876;  Joseph  H.  Maclay,  1878:  W. 
H.  Parcels,  1882;  George  S.  Hoffman,  1884:  William  P.  Stevenson, 
1886:  Joseph  H.  McClintic,  1890:  Walter  H.  Parcels,  1894;  Gruber 
H.  Bell.  1896;  Samuel  H.  Rothrock,  1898:  T.  A.  W.  Webb,  1902; 
James  M.  Yeager,  1906;  Joseph  Kelley,  1908;  J.  H.  Peachey,  1912. 


CHAPTER    VII 

MIFFLIN  COUNTY,  TOWNSHIPS,   BOROUGHS,  ETC. 

The  Ten  Townships — Armagh — Bratton — Brown — Decatur — Derry — Granville — Menno 
^Oliver — Union — Wayne — Early  Indian  Raids — Pioneers  in  Each  Township — 
Schools — Drake's  Ferry^Boroughs  and  Villages — Lewistown — Its  Early  History — 
Incorporation — Stump  Pulling — Market  Houses — Fire  Department — Police  Force — 
Water-works — Street  Railway — Gas  and  Electric  Light — McVeytown — Newton 
Hamilton  —  Allensville  —  Belleville  —  Burnham  —  Granville — Maitland — JNIilroy — 
Reedsville — Wagner — Yeagertown — Postoffices — Rural   Free   Delivery  Routes. 

MIFFLIN  county  is  divided  into  ten  townships,  viz. :  Armagh, 
Bratton,   Brown,   Decatur.  Derry,  Granville,   Menno,   Oliver, 
Union  and  Wayne.     Three  of  these  townships — Derry,  Ar- 
magh, and  Wayne — were  erected  in  the  order  named  before  the  forma- 
tion of  the  county  as  a  separate  and  independent  political  division  of  the 
state. 

Armagh  township  was  created  and  organized  by  the  authorities  of 
Cumberland  county  in  January,  1770,  nearly  twenty  years  before  the 
erection  of  Mifflin  countv-  About  the  close  of  the  French  and  Indian 
war  a  number  of  settlers  came  into  Derry  township,  Cumberland 
county,  which  township  then  included  all  of  the  present  county  of  Mif- 
flin, and  located  in  the  valley  north  of  Jack's  mountain.  The  elec- 
tions were  held,  and  in  fact  all  the  township  business  was  transacted 
south  of  the  mountain,  and  as  there  were  no  roads  yet  opened  the  peo- 
ple on  the  north  side  of  the  mountain  were  placed  at  a  disadvantage. 
By  the  latter  part  of  1769  the  population  of  the  valley  had  increased 
until  the  settlers  felt  justified  in  asking  for  the  formation  of  a  new  town- 
ship. A  petition  was  accordingly  presented  to  the  Cumberland  county 
court,  which  in  January,  1770,  took  action  upon  the  question  as  follows: 

"Upon  reading  the  petition  of  several  of  the  inhabitants  of  Kishacho- 
quillas  Great  Valley,  setting  forth  that  they  labour  under  the  Burthen 
of  being  in  one  township  with  Derry,  and  as  Jack's  Mountain  lies  be- 

116 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  117 

tween  the  Great  Valley  and  the  rest  of  the  township,  which  cuts  away 
all  communication  only  at  the  Narrows.  The  Petitioners  therefore 
humbly  prayed  that  the  Court  would  take  them  under  due  consideration 
and  strike  the  Great  Valley  of¥  into  a  township  by  itself,  leaving  Jack's 
Mountain  to  be  the  division  line.  The  Court  do  thereupon  consider  and 
order  that  Jack's  Mountain  aforesaid  be  the  Division  line  between  the 
township  of  Derry  and  the  part  struck  off  from  said  township,  which 
is  called  by  the  name  of  Armagh  township,  allowing  the  township  of 
Armagh  to  include  Kishachoc|uillas  Narrows  to  where  the  road  now 
crosses  Kishachoquillas  Creek." 

When  Brown  and  Menno  townships  were  erected  in  1836  Armagh 
township  was  reduced  in  size.  It  is  bounded  on  the  northwest  by  Cen- 
ter county;  on  the  northeast  by  Union  and  Snyder  counties;  on  the 
southeast  by  the  townships  of  Decatur  and  Derry  along  the  summit  of 
Jack's  mountain ;  and  on  the  southwest  by  Brown  township.  Hunting- 
don county  forms  a  small  portion  of  the  boundary  at  the  northwest 
corner.  After  the  formation  of  Brown  township  Armagh  was  described 
as  being  "six  and  a  half  miles  in  length  and  six  miles  in  width,  and 
from  the  Knobs  eastward  to  the  Union  county  line  it  is  uninhabited, 
being  a  continuous  range  of  mountains." 

Among  the  early  settlers  in  what  is  now  Armagh  township  were  the 
five  McNitts — -Alexander,  John,  James.  Robert  and  William — who 
located  near  the  foot  of  the  Seven  mountains  in  1766.  Other  early 
settlers  were  George  Sigler,  James  Alexander,  Mathias  Ruble,  John  and 
Edward  Bates  and  George  Bell.  Indian  depredations  were  of  frequent 
occurrence  in  that  day  and  the  settlers  united  in  building  a  fort  of  the 
stockade  type  near  a  spring,  on  the  land  taken  up  by  Robert  McNitt. 
The  Indians  continued  their  raids  for  more  than  ten  years  after  the 
coming  of  the  McNitts,  when  the  white  men  in  the  valley  had  become 
so  numerous  that  the  savages  apparently  concluded  that  "discretion  is 
the  better  part  of  valor"  and  ceased  their  forays.  In  July,  1775,  a  party 
of  Indians  captured  George  Sigler,  Jr.,  a  boy  thirteen  years  of  age, 
and  carried  him  to  Canada,  where  he  was  kept  a  prisoner  until  after 
the  treaty  of  peace,  when  he  was  released  and  returned  to  his  home. 
About  the  same  time  another  party  attacked  Mathias  Ruble's  house  in 
the  east  end  of  the  Kishacoquillas  \'alley,  but  several  cross  dogs  owned 
by  Ruble  gave  the  alarm,  which  enabled  the  family  to  defend  the  house 
until  one  of  the  boys  slipped  out  of  the  window  unobserved  and  ran  to 


ii8  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

the  nearest  neighbors,  who  organized  a  rescuing  party.  The  Indians 
had  left,  however,  before  the  assistance  arrived.  In  1777,  in  one  of  the 
latest  raids  made  by  the  Indians  in  this  section,  Robert  McNitt,  the 
eight-year-old  son  of  Alexander  McNitt,  was  captured  and  taken  to 
Canada,  where  he  was  kept  for  four  years.  He  was  then  rescued  by  a 
man  named  Lee,  who  had  gone  there  after  his  daughter,  also  a  captive 
among  the  Indians. 

Among  the  pioneers  on  the  Kishacoquillas  the  mill  and  the  still- 
house  were  the  principal  manufacturing  enterprises.  As  early  as  1781 
there  were  six  mills,  seven  still-houses  and  two  tan-yards  in  operation 
in  Armagh  township.  William  Brown,  who  operated  two  of  the  mills 
and  two  stills,  was  the  owner  of  two  negro  slaves,  and  Matthew  Taylor, 
who  also  operated  two  stills,  was  the  owner  of  one  negro.  The  first 
assessment  roll  after  Mifflin  county  was  erected  in  1789  showed  159  tax- 
payers, of  whom  126  were  land  owners. 

Probably  the  first  school  house  in  the  township  was  on  the  old  road 
leading  to  Penn's  valley.  It  was  of  round  logs,  with  a  clapboard  roof, 
but  the  date  when  it  was  built  is  uncertain.  The  second  school  house 
was  on  Cameron  hill,  and  another  early  school  house  was  on  James 
Armstrong's  farm  on  the  south  side  of  Honey  creek.  In  1912  there 
were  sixteen  teachers  employed  in  the  several  schools  of  the  township, 
and  seven  were  graduated  in  the  township  high  school  at  Milroy. 

The  first  postoffice  in  the  township  was  established  in  182S  under 
the  name  of  Valley.  William  Thompson,  the  first  postmaster,  kept  the 
office  at  his  residence  a  short  distance  northwest  of  Milroy.  In  1850 
the  name  was  changed  to  Milroy. 

Bratton  township  was  erected  in  1850.  The  territory  comprising 
it  was  taken  from  Oliver  township,  which  was  originally  a  part  of 
Wayne.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Juniata  river,  which  sepa- 
rates it  from  Oliver  township;  on  the  east  by  the  township  of  Granville; 
on  the  south  by  the  Blue  ridge,  which  separates  it  from  Juniata  county ; 
and  on  the  west  by  Wayne  township.  It  was  named  for  Captain  Will- 
iam Bratton,  who  lived  in  that  part  of  Cumberland  county  which  is  now 
Mifflin  at  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  who  commanded  a 
company  in  the  Seventh  Pennsylvania  regiment  in  the  Continental  army. 

Early  in  1755  Andrew  Bratton  and  his  brother-in-law,  Samuel  Hol- 
liday,  came  over  the  mountains  for  the  purpose  of  founding  homes  in 


HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY  119 

the  Juniata  Valley.  Bratton  selected  a  tract  of  land  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Juniata,  and  was  the  first  actual  settler  in  what  is  now  Bratton 
township.  The  first  warrant  for  land  located  in  the  township  was  issued 
to  Alexander  Hamilton  on  February  10,  1755,  for  280  acres  on  the 
Juniata,  but  he  did  not  become  an  actual  resident  until  several  months 
later.  Andrew  Bratton's  land  warrant  was  dated  September  8,  1755. 
Before  that  time  and  the  close  of  the  century  John,  William,  George, 
Jacob,  Edward,  James  and  John  Bratton,  Jr.,  had  all  entered  lands  in 
what  is  now  Bratton  township,  and  during  the  next  fifteen  years  mem- 
bers of  the  family  took  up  over  1,000  acres  of  land.  Other  early  set- 
tlers were  George  Mitchell,  Nathaniel  Stanley,  John  Beatty,  who  was  a 
native  of  Ireland,  Elijah  and  Benjamin  Criswell,  John  Beard  and  John 
Carlisle. 

Andrew  Bratton,  the  original  pioneer,  built  a  log  meeting-house 
near  his  dwelling  for  the  use  of  the  Presbyterians  in  the  vicinity,  and 
Rev.  Charles  Beatty,  the  missionary,  held  services  in  this  house  in  1766. 
This  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  regular  religious  service  held  in 
the  township.  The  earliest  school  house  of  which  there  is  any  record 
was  a  small  log  building  on  the  Bratton  farm.  It  was  erected  about 
1780,  and  James  Jacobs  was  one  of  the  early  teachers.  Some  time  prior 
to  1800  a  log  school  house  was  built  on  John  Beard's  farm  on  Shank's 
run.  Glass  was  a  luxury  in  those  days,  and  this  school  house  had 
oiled  paper  for  windows.  In  1S34  a  brick  school  house  was  built  by 
Andrew  Bratton  on  his  farm,  and  private  or  "pay"  schools  were  taught 
in  this  house  until  it  was  purchased  by  the  township  authorities  in  1851. 
In  that  year  the  township  was  divided  into  three — the  Bratton,  Y'oder 
and  Humphrey — school  districts.  Subsequently  three  new  districts 
were  added,  and  in  1912  there  were  six  teachers  employed  in  the  public 
schools. 

The  Pennsylvania  railroad  runs  along  the  northern  border,  follow- 
ing the  course  of  the  Juniata  river,  and  there  are  three  stations  in  the 
township — Longfellow,  Horningford  and  Mattawana — the  last  named 
being  the  station  for  McVeytown,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and 
is  now  generally  called  by  that  name. 

Brown  township,  one  of  the  northwestern  tier,  was  established  in 
January,  1837,  and  was  named  for  Judge  William  Brown,  who  was  the 
first  settler  in  the  Kishacoquillas  valley.     At  the  April  term  of  court 


I20  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY 

in  1836  a  petition  was  presented  asking  for  a  division  of  Armagh  and 
Union  townships  and  the  formation  of  two  new  ones  in  that  part  of 
the  county.  The  court  appointed  Robert  Allies,  D.  R.  Reynolds  and 
Thomas  I.  Postlethwait  to  view  the  townships  and  make  a  report  as  to  the 
merits  of  the  petition.  On  July  30,  1836,  they  reported  that  they  had 
performed  the  duty  for  which  they  were  appointed,  and  recommended 
the  division  of  the  township  as  asked  for  by  the  petitioners.  They  pre- 
sented a  plot  or  map  of  the  territory,  showing  the  four  townships  as 
they  would  appear  after  the  division.  Brown  being  described  as  five 
and  a  half  miles  in  length  and  having  an  average  width  of  four  and  a 
half  miles.  The  report  of  the  viewers  was  accepted,  and  at  the  January 
term  following  the  order  was  made  by  the  court  for  the  erection  of 
Brown  township.  At  that  time  there  Avere  within  the  limits  of  the  new 
township  211  taxpayers,  with  property  valued  at  nearly  half  a  million 
dollars. 

About  1752  William  Brown  and  James  Reed  visited  the  Kishaco- 
quillas  valley  in  search  of  suitable  lands  for  farming  purposes.  These 
two  men  and  Robert  Taylor  settled  in  the  valley  on  land  warrants  taken 
out  in  1755.  Brown  settled  where  the  town  of  Reedsville  now  stands, 
and  lived  there  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  erected  a  grist-mill  and 
saw -mill  there  in  1781,  and  the  place  was  known  as  Brown's  Mills  until 
Reedsville  was  laid  out  in  1838.  Upon  the  erection  of  Mifflin  county 
in  1789,  Mr.  Brown  was  made  the  presiding  justice  of  the  courts  and 
two  years  later  became  an  associate  justice.  Samuel  ]\Iilliken  settled  in 
the  township  in  1772.  He  was  a  son  of  James  Milliken,  who  came  from 
Ireland  in  that  year  and  settled  in  Dauphin  county,  where  he  died  about 
a  month  after  his  arrival.  Samuel  came  to  the  Kishacoquillas  valley 
soon  after  his  father's  death,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1804  was 
the  owner  of  over  1,000  acres  of  land  in  what  is  now  Brown  township. 
Another  pioneer  was  Abraham  Sanford,  who  owned  a  tract  of  land  along 
the  Kishacoquillas  creek  near  the  line  of  Derry  and  Brown  townships 
and  was  running  a  grist-mill  on  the  farm  as  early  as  1772.  Still-houses 
were  built  in  the  township  by  William  Brown  before  1790;  William 
Henry  in  1791 ;  John  Fleming  about  1795;  and  Samuel  Milliken  about 
1800.  Matthew  Taylor,  John  Cooper  and  Kyle  &  ]\Iilliken  also  operated 
stills  in  the  township  at  an  early  date.  In  18 12  James,  Jonas  and 
George  Spangler  built  a  small  stone  shop  in  the  Narrows  and  began  the 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  121 

manufacture  of  gun  barrels.  It  was  in  this  building  that  William  Mann 
first  began  to  make  axes  some  years  later.  John  Fleming,  one  of  the 
early  distillers,  also  had  a  grist-mill  and  a  woolen  mill,  and  John  Taylor 
started  a  tan-yard  on  his  farm  about  1813. 

Just  where  and  when  the  first  school  was  taught  in  the  township  is  a 
matter  of  uncertainty.  The  Kishacoquillas  Seminary  had  its  beginning 
in  the  fall  of  1847,  when  Rev.  J.  W.  Elliott  opened  a  select  school  in 
the  Centre  church,  near  the  line  between  Union  and  Brown  townships. 
It  received  a  charter  in  1854,  and  continued  as  a  private  school  in  a 
building  erected  by  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Alexander  on  the  road  between 
Reedsville  and  Belleville  for  a  number  of  years.  The  building  was  then 
sold  to  a  man  named  Garver,  who  occupied  it  as  a  dwelling  and  store. 
In  1912  there  were  fourteen  teachers  employed  in  the  public  schools. 

Decatur  township,  \y'mg  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  county, 
was  a  part  of  Derry  township  for  forty-five  years  after  the  latter  was 
organized  by  the  Cumberland  county  court  in  1767.  In  August,  1812, 
the  people  living  in  the  eastern  part  of  Derry  township  presented  a  peti- 
tion to  the  court  of  quarter  sessions  asking  for  the  erection  of  a  new 
township.  In  response  to  this  petition  the  court  appointed  commissioners 
to  investigate  the  matter  and  make  a  report.  In  their  report,  which  was 
presented  to  the  court  at  the  January  term  in  1813,  the  viewers  recom- 
mended the  erection  of  a  new  township  and  closed  the  report  by  saying: 

"They  therefore  submit  to  the  Honoralile  Court  the  within  plot  or 
draft  of  Derry  and  the  part  of  Beaver  Dam  lately  annexed  to  it,  and 
the  division  line  which  they  have  made  and  caused  to  be  marked  on  the 
ground ;  the  said  line  beginning  at  the  North  Boundary  of  Derry  town- 
ship, in  Jack's  Mountain,  and  running  south  25°  east  five  and  a  half 
miles  to  the  South  Boundary  of  the  said  township  in  the  Shade  Moun- 
tain, and  they  further  beg  leave  to  represent  that  by  the  said  line  the 
said  township  is  equally  divided,  and  due  consideration  has  been  paid 
to  the  local  interest  of  said  township  in  said  division." 

The  court  confirmed  the  report,  approved  the  recommendations  of 
the  commissioners,  and  ordered  that  the  new  township  be  called  Decatur. 
The  3'ear  following  the  erection  of  the  township  the  assessment  rolls 
showed  149  landowners  in  the  township,  eight  saw-mills,  two  grist- 
mills, a  fulling-mill  and  carding  machine. 

On  January  26,   1763,  an  order  of  survey  gave  John  Gilchrist  the 


122  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY 

right  to  take  up  300  acres  of  land  in  the  Jack's  creek  valley,  and  he  was 
jDrobably  the  pioneer  settler  in  Decatur  township.  The  first  land  warrant 
bears  date  of  August  i,  1766,  and  was  issued  to  Jacob  Bach  for  250 
acres.  George  Frey  located  300  acres  on  February  12,  1767,  and 
Philip  and  William  Stroup  were  early  settlers.  George  Sigler,  who 
had  been  captured  by  the  Indians  in  1775,  took  out  a  warrant  in  1784 
for  a  tract  of  land  at  the  head  of  Long  Meadow  run.  In  1793  he  was 
the  owner  of  400  acres.  After  the  Revolution  the  settlement  was  more 
rapid,  and  before  the  close  of  the  century  the  Bells,  Hoffmans,  Ever- 
harts,  Wagners,  Klines,  Shillings,  Yeaters,  Tresters,  Caleb  Parshall  and 
several  other  families  had  located  in  the  Jack's  creek  valley,  most  of 
them  near  the  old  Indian  path  that  ran  from  the  Juniata  to  the  Susque- 
hanna river.  Some  years  later  this  path  became  a  public  highway,  over 
which  a  stage  line  was  operated,  and  the  route  is  now  closely  followed 
by  the  line  of  the  Sunbury  division  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad. 

That  part  of  Beaver  Dam  township  mentioned  in  the  report  of  the 
viewers  was  made  a  part  of  L'nion  county  soon  after  Decatur  township 
was  organized,  but  on  ilarch  16,  1819,  by  act  of  the  legislature,  the 
territory  was  again  annexed  to  Mifflin  county  and  became  a  part  of 
Decatur  township,  where  it  still  remains.  With  the  lines  thus  estab- 
lished, Decatur  is  bounded  on  the  northeast  by  the  county  of  Snyder; 
on  the  southeast  by  Juniata  county ;  on  the  southwest  by  Derry  town- 
ship, and  on  the  northwest  by  the  township  of  Armagh. 

It  is  doubtful  whether  a  regular  school  house  was  built  in  the  town- 
ship prior  to  the  adoption  of  the  public  school  system  in  1834.  Before 
that  time  the  schools  were  maintained  by  private  subscriptions  and  were 
usually  taught  in  a  room  of  some  residence  or  in  some  abandoned  struc- 
ture fitted  up  for  the  purpose.  John  H.  Bell  and  Samuel  Bair  were 
appointed  directors  after  the  passage  of  the  act  of  April  i,  1834,  au- 
thorizing the  establishment  of  public  schools,  and  these  directors  divided 
the  township  into  the  first  school  districts,  four  in  number.  In  1912 
there  were  eight  teachers  employed  in  the  public  schools. 

A  postoffice — the  first  in  the  township — was  established  at  the  tavern 
of  Stephen  Hinds  early  in  the  nineteenth  century,  but  after  several 
years  it  was  abandoned.  In  1853  another  postoffice  was  established 
about  a  mile  west  of  where  the  first  w-as  located,  with  George  Sigler  as 
postmaster.     Upon   the   opening  of   the   railroad,   offices   were   estab- 


HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY  123 

lished  at  Paintersville,  Soradoville  and  Wagner.  Some  of  these  have 
been  discontinued  on  account  of  the  introduction  of  the  free  rural  de- 
livery system. 

Derry  township,  the  oldest  in  the  county  and  at  one  time  including 
the  entire  county,  was  erected  by  the  court  of  Cumberland  county  more 
than  twenty  years  before  Mifflin  county  was  organized.  In  August  1754, 
about  a  month  after  the  purchase  of  the  lands  in  the  Juniata  Valley 
from  the  Indians,  Cumberland  county  organized  four  townships  "tother 
side  of  the  North  mountain."  These  townships  were  Tyrone,  Lack, 
Fannet  and  Aire  (or  Ayr).  Early  in  the  year  1767  a  petition  was  pre- 
sented to  the  court  by  the  settlers  living  north  of  the  Juniata,  asking 
for  the  erection  of  a  new  township  in  that  region,  and  at  the  July  term 
the  court  defined  the  boundaries  of  Derry  township  as  follows :  "Be- 
ginning at  the  middle  of  the  Long  Narrows ;  thence  up  the  north  side 
of  the  Juniata  as  far  as  Jack's  Narrows;  thence  to  include  the  valleys 
of  the  Kishacokulus  and  Jack's  creek." 

The  boundaries  as  thus  established  embraced  all  that  portion  of  the 
present  county  of  Mifflin  lying  north  of  the  Juniata  river  and  part  of 
what  is  now  Brady  township  in  Huntingdon  county.  Just  when  that 
portion  of  Mifflin  county  south  of  the  Juniata  was  taken  into  the  town- 
ship is  not  shown  by  the  records,  but  when  the  assessment  of  1768  was 
made  the  names  of  the  settlers  living  in  that  territory  were  included,  so 
it  is  probable  the  annexation  was  made  soon  after  the  township  was 
organized.  The  assessment  rolls  for  that  year  included  the  names  of 
seventy  landowners  and  over  25,000  acres  taken  up  on  land  warrants. 

One  of  the  earliest  settlers  on  the  Kishacoquillas  creek,  on  the  south 
side  of  Jack's  mountain,  was  Everhart  Martin,  whose  first  land  warrant 
was  dated  April  2,  1755.  Later  he  entered  several  other  tracts,  a  large 
part  of  which  became  the  property  of  the  Freedom  Iron  Company  and 
later  of  the  Logan  Iron  and  Steel  Company.  It  is  not  certain,  however, 
that  he  ever  lived  upon  the  lands  thus  entered  in  his  name.  His  son 
Christopher  built  a  saw-mill  on  the  creek  opposite  Yeagertown  at  an 
early  date.  Mention  has  been  made  of  Samuel  Holliday,  who  came  to 
what  is  now  Bratton  township  in  1755.  He  located  on  the  Juniata, 
near  the  present  borough  of  McVeytown,  where  he  built  a  grist-mill, 
which  was  probably  the  first  one  in  Derry  township.  It  was  built  about 
the  time  the  township  was  organized.     The  site  of  this  mill  was  after- 


124  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY 

ward  occupied  by  the  Troxwell  tannery.     Robert  Buchanan  located  a 
trading  post  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kishacoquillas  creek,  where  the  borough 
of  Lewistown  now  stands,  before  the  purchase  of  the  lands  from  the 
Indians  in  1754.    When  the  French  and  Indian  war  began  he  went  back 
to  Carlisle  and  did  not  return  to  his  trading  post  until  about  1762.     On 
July  2,  1762,  he  took  out  a  warrant  for  201  acres  of  land  "lying  on  the 
northwest  side  of  the   river   and   extending  above   the   mouth  of   the 
Kishacoquillas  creek."     His  son  Arthur  and  his  daughter,  at  the  same 
time,  took  out  warrants  for  land  in  the  vicinity,  the  former  for  ninety- 
six  and  the  latter  for  218  acres.     John  Early,  on  August  2,  1766,  took 
up  part  of  the  land  where  the  village  of  Kellyville  was  afterward  built. 
John  Rothrock  came  from  Xorthampton  county  before  the  Revolution 
and  settled  four  miles  northeast  of  Lewistown,  where  his  son  Joseph 
continued  to  reside  until  his  death.     George  Rothrock  settled  in  Fergu- 
son's valley  in  1773.     About  the  same  time  Matthew  and  George  Kelly 
settled  in  the  south  end  of  the  Dry  valley  and  received  warrants  for 
their  lands  on  October  i,  1776.     During  the  closing  years  of  the  Revo- 
lution and  in  the  decade  following  a  number  of  settlers  came  into  Derry 
township.     In  17S4  Robert  Forsythe  came  and  afterward  became  one 
of  the  pioneer  merchants  of  Lewistown.    Andrew  Gregg  took  up  a  tract 
below  that  of  Jane  Buchanan  in  1787.  built  a  cabin  and  put  in  a  stock 
of  goods.     Two  years  later  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  trustees  to 
organize  Mifflin  county.     John  Alexander  also  came  in  1787  and  pur- 
chased a  large  tract  of  land  of  Christopher  ]\Iartin  in  Little  valley.     The 
following  year  Ulrich  Steely  entered   100  acres  on  the  south  side  of 
Jack's  mountain.     James  Mayes  took  out  a  warrant  on  March  9,  1790, 
for  250  acres  near  the  present  village  of  Yeagertown,  and  his  brother 
Andrew  settled  in  the  same  neighborhood,  where,  in  1792,  he  took  up 
a  large  tract  of  land.     In  1793  Philip  Minehart  was  running  a  saw-mill 
in  that  part  of  Derry  afterward  cut  off  to  form  Granville  township,  and 
the  next  year  Joseph  Strode  built  a  grist  and  saw-mill  on  Brightfield's 
run.    Other  settlers  came  in  before  the  close  of  the  century,  and  in  1800 
the  population  of  the  township  was  1,135. 

A  school  house  was  built  at  an  early  date  on  the  farm  of  George 
Rothrock,  in  the  Ferguson  valley,  and  early  in  the  nineteenth  century 
one  was  erected  near  the  present  village  of  \'ira.  It  was  a  log  struc- 
ture and  was  used  as  a  church  and  school  house  until   1843,  '\vhen  it 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  125 

was  sold  to  the  Freedom  Iron  Company,  who  removed  it  to  Freedom  and 
converted  it  into  a  dwelHng.  Upon  the  adoption  of  the  pubHc  school 
system  in  1834  Joseph  Matthews  and  David  Hough  were  appointed 
school  directors,  and  they  divided  the  township  into  five  districts.  In 
1912  there  were  twenty-six  teachers  employed  in  the  several  schools  of 
the  township,  exclusive  of  the  borough  of  Lewistown,  which  is  located 
in  Derry  township. 

By  the  formation  of  new  townships  from  time  to  time  Derry  has 
been  reduced  in  size  until  it  is  only  about  six  miles  square.  On  the  north 
it  is  bounded  by  Armagh  and  Brown  townships,  the  line  being  the  sum- 
mit of  Jack's  mountain:  on  the  east  by  Decatur  township:  on  the  south 
by  Juniata  county  and  the  Juniata  river,  which  separates  it  from  Gran- 
ville township :  and  on  the  west  by  Granville. 

Granville  township  is  first  mentioned  in  the  public  records  at  the 
April  sessions  of  the  court  in  1S38,  when  it  was  erected  from  the  western 
part  of  Derry.  At  that  time  there  were  203  taxpayers  living  within  its 
limits.  The  principal  manufacturing  concerns  were  a  tan-yard,  an  iron 
furnace,  four  saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  a  carding  machine  and  a  still- 
house.  The  first  settlers  in  the  township  were  William  and  James  Arm- 
strong. A  land  warrant  was  issued  to  William  Armstrong  on  February 
3,  1755,  the  day  the  land  office  opened  for  business,  and  James  Arm- 
strong received  a  warrant  dated  April  10,  T755,  for  282  acres.  Settle- 
ment was  retarded  by  the  French  and  Indian  war  for  several  years,  but 
in  1762  Thomas  Holt  took  out  a  warrant  for  400  acres  of  land  near  the 
junction  of  Brightfield's  run  and  the  Juniata  river.  Four  years  later  he 
purchased  other  lands.  Rev.  Charles  Beatty  stopped  at  Mr.  Holt's  house 
in  August,  1766,  while  on  his  missionary  tour  through  the  Juniata  val- 
ley. In  1798  Holt's  heirs  sold  the  greater  part  of  the  estate  to  William 
Lewis,  who  erected  the  old  Hope  furnace  soon  after  becoming  the  owner 
of  the  land.  James  Brown  also  received  a  warrant  in  1762  for  136 
acres.  On  October  30,  1765,  Joseph  Swift  took  up  400  acres:  on  April 
9,  1766,  300  acres,  and  on  x\ugust  4,  1766,  300  acres,  making  1,000 
acres  in  all,  l:)ut  he  never  became  a  resident  of  the  township,  his  lands 
being  purchased  for  speculative  purposes  only.  In  1766  Ephraim 
Blaine,  of  Carlisle,  received  a  warrant  for  250  acres,  and  in  August  of 
that  year  Isaac  Strode  located  on  300  acres  on  Brightfield's  (now 
Strode's  run).     Thomas  Evans  took  up  248  acres  in  August,  1767.  and 


126  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUXIATA    VALLEY 

the  same  year  James  Gemmel  received  a  warrant  for  300  acres.  James 
Lyon,  who  came  from  Ireland  in  1763,  located  near  the  present  railroad 
station  of  Anderson  in  1768,  where  he  entered  200  acres  of  land. 

Other  pioneers  were  George  Bratton.  John  Cever,  Charles  Magill, 
Abraham  Miller,  Thomas  Martin,  James  Edwards  and  the  Baums.  Most 
of  the  early  settlers  located  along  the  foot  of  the  mountain  or  near  the 
Juniata  river.  In  October,  1777,  James  Armstrong  sold  a  tract  of  land, 
who  purchased  other  land  adjoining  and  established  a  tavern  which  w'as 
widely  known  as  the  "Rob  Roy."  It  was  afterward  kept  for  some  time 
by  Abraham  Hufferd,  who  purchased  it  after  Steel's  death  in  1821. 

The  first  school  house  of  which  any  authentic  information  can  be 
gained  w'as  about  where  the  village  of  Granville  now  stands.  It  was 
a  log  house,  built  at  an  early  date  on  the  farm  later  owned  by  F.  A. 
McCoy,  and  was  used  as  a  school  house  until  about  1840,  wdien  it 
was  torn  down  and  a  better  one  erected  near  the  site.  Most  of  the  early 
school  houses  were  built  by  the  cooperation  of  the  citizens  and  no  record 
of  their  location  has  been  preserved.  In  19 12  Granville  had  a  township 
high  school  and  fourteen  teachers  were  employed  in  the  several  dis- 
tricts. 

Granville  township  is  bounded  on  the  northeast  by  Derry;  on  the 
southeast  by  Juniata  county,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Blue 
Ridge;  on  the  southwest  by  Bratton  and  Oliver  townships,  and  on  the 
northwest  by  Brown  and  Union.  The  Juniata  river  runs  through  it,  and 
following  the  course  of  the  river  is  the  main  line  of  the  Pennsylvania 
railroad,  Granville  and  Anderson  being  the  two  railway  stations  in  the 
township. 

Menno  township  was  erected  at  the  same  time  as  Brown  and  in  re- 
sponse to  the  same  petition,  the  order  of  the  court  being  issued  at  the 
January  term  in  1837.  The  viewers  appointed  at  the  April  term  in 
1836  made  a  report  the  following  July,  with  which  report  they  submitted 
a  map  or  plat,  describing  ]\Ienno  township  as  "six  and  a  half  miles  in 
length  and  the  average  width  from  the  summit  of  each  mountain  four 
miles."  It  was  named  after  Simon  Menno,  the  founder  of  the  Menno- 
nite  society.  Originally  it  was  a  part  of  Derry,  but  was  cut  off  with 
Armagh  in  1770  and  remained  as  part  of  that  township  until  the  for- 
mation of  Union  in  1790,  when  it  became  the  western  part  of  that  town- 
ship.    It  lies  north  of  Jack's  mountain  and  is  bounded  on  the  northeast 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  127 

by  Union  township;  on  the  southeast  by  OHver,  and  on  the  west  and 
northwest  by  Huntingdon  county.  Kishacoquillas  creek  rises  in  this 
township. 

As  early  as  1754  Alexander  Torrentine  and  Robert  Brotherton  vis- 
ited the  upper  Kishacoquillas  valley  in  search  of  land,  and  as  soon  as 
the  land  office  was  opened  the  following  year  they  took  out  warrants 
and  settled  in  what  is  now  Menno  township.  The  first  religious  services 
at  which  a  regular  preacher  officiated  were  held  at  the  house  of  Robert 
Brotherton  some  years  later.  Other  pioneers  were  IMatthew  Kenney, 
Hugh  McClellan,  Samuel  Gilmore,  John  AIcDowell.  John  Wilson,  the 
Allisons — Joseph,  James  and  Robert — Joseph  Kyle  and  Henry  McCon- 
key.  For  services  rendered  at  the  grand  council  with  the  Indians,  held 
at  Easton  in  October,  1758,  several  tracts  of  land  were  granted  to  An- 
drew Montour,  one  of  which,  called  "Sharron."  was  where  the  village 
of  Allenville  is  now  located.  It  contained  over  1,700  acres,  and  was 
surveyed  in  May,  1767.  more  than  a  year  before  it  was  granted  to  Mon- 
tour. Subsequently  it  became  the  property  of  Rev.  Richard  Peters, 
whose  executors  sold  it  to  Benjamin  Chew,  who  obtained  a  patent  for 
it  dated  September  3,  1796. 

Nothing  can  be  learned  of  the  early  schools.  In  1834,  when  the 
present  public  school  system  was  inaugurated,  there  were  four  school 
houses  in  the  township,  to  wit:  one  at  Yoder's,  near  the  county  line; 
one  at  King's,  east  of  Allenville;  one  at  Wilson's,  and  one  near  the 
"Brick  Church."  In  1912  Menno  had  a  township  high  school,  and  in 
the  several  districts  there  were  employed  seven  teachers. 

Oliver  township,  situated  in  the  western  part  of  the  county,  was 
erected  in  1835.  A  petition  asking  for  a  division  of  Wayne  township 
was  presented  to  the  court  at  the  October  term  in  1834,  when  David 
Hough,  William  P.  Elliott  and  Thomas  McClure  were  appointed  viewers, 
with  instructions  to  report  as  to  the  advisability  of  granting  the  peti- 
tion. On  January  8,  1835.  they  recommended  the  division  of  the  town- 
ship on  the  following  line ;  "Beginning  at  the  Strode  mountain ;  thence 
north  36°  west,  crossing  the  Juniata  river  to  the  mouth  of  Shank's 
run;  thence  through  Joseph  Langton's  lane  to  Jack's  Mountain."  They 
also  stated,  "Our  opinions  are  that  said  division  is  the  best  that  can  be 
made  satisfactor}-  to  a  large  majority  of  the  inhabitants  of  said  town- 
ship." 


128  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

At  the  April  session  of  the  court  the  report  and  recommendations  of 
the  viewers  were  approved  and  confirmed  and  an  order  issued  for  the 
erection  of  a  new  township  to  be  called  Oliver,  in  honor  of  John  Oliver, 
long  a  judge  of  the  court.  The  assessment  rolls  for  1836,  the  year  fol- 
lowing the  erection  of  the  township,  showed  183  taxpayers  and  about 
25,000  acres  of  land  under  ownership.  At  that  time  there  were  within 
the  limits  of  the  township  one  iron  furnace,  one  distillery,  one  carding 
and  fulling  machine,  two  taverns,  two  cabinet-makers,  two  wagon- 
makers,  three  tan-yards,  three  coopers,  three  grist-mills,  three  shoe- 
makers, four  weavers,  six  tailors,  eight  blacksmiths,  seven  stores  and 
ten  saw-mills,. 

One  of  the  early  settlers  was  Robert  Samuels,  who  on  June  2,  1762, 
took  out  a  warrant  for  200  acres  of  land.  William  Samuels  received 
a  warrant  for  fifty  acres  in  the  same  locality  in  1768.  In  that  year 
Alexander  and  James  Stewart  located  in  the  township,  the  former  taking 
up  100  acres  and  the  latter  400,  and  ]\Iatthew  Wakefield  entered  100 
acres.  Robert  Forgy,  a  weaver  by  trade,  came  to  America  about  1772 
and  soon  after  came  to  the  house  of  John  Beatty,  in  what  is  now  Brat- 
ton  township.  He  married  Elizabeth  Beatty  and  settled  in  Oliver  town- 
ship shortly  after  their  marriage.  \\'illiam  Aloore  located  in  what  is 
now  Oliver  township  some  time  prior  to  the  year  1770.  L'pon  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  Revolutionary  war  he  enlisted  in  the  Continental  army 
and  died  in  the  service.  His  widow,  Isabella,  continued  to  live  upon  the 
old  homestead  of  100  acres  until  her  death  in  1822.  Some  of  their 
descendants  still  live  in  IMifHin  county.  About  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, or  between  that  time  and  the  year  1800,  a  number  of  settlers  came 
into  the  township.  Among  them  were  Robert  Elliott,  William  Robison, 
John  Allen.  Richard  Coulter,  James  Stackpole,  Benjamin  Walters.  John 
Rankin,  John  Ctilbertson,  Thomas  Collins,  Hector  Galbraith,  James  Hus- 
ton, Henry  Hanawalt  and  John  Swigart. 

John  Oliver,  for  whom  the  township  was  named,  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  where  he  was  born  in  1752-.  He  came  to  this  country  when 
a  young  man.  and  in  1780  was  engaged  in  teaching  school  in  Wayne 
(now  Oliver)  township.  In  1782  he  married  ^largaret  Lyon,  daughter 
of  James  Lyon,  and  from  1794  to  1837  was  an  associate  justice  of  the 
Mifflin  county  courts.     He  died  on  February  9,  1841. 

The  first  school  house  of  which  any  definite  knowledge  can  be  ob- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY  129 

tainecl  was  near  Strode' s  Mills,  but  the  date  when  it  was  built  or  when 
the  first  school  was  taught  there  cannot  be  ascertained.  Another  early 
school  house  was  on  the  farm  of  John  Culbertson,  about  a  mile  west 
of  the  present  borough  of  McVeytown.  Soon  after  the  township  was 
formed  in  1835  John  Haman  and  Richard  Miles  were  appointed  directors 
for  the  five  school  districts  taken  from  Wayne.  Nine  teachers  were 
employed  in  the  schools  in  the  year  k;  12-13. 

Oliver  township  was  reduced  in  size  by  the  formation  of  Bratton 
in  1850,  when  that  portion  south  of  the  Juniata  was  taken  for  the  new 
township.  At  present  it  is  bounded  on  the  northwest  by  Union  and 
Menno  townships;  on  the  northeast  by  Granville;  on  the  southeast  by 
the  Juniata  river,  which  separates  it  from  Bratton ;  and  on  the  south- 
west by  the  township  of  Wayne.  Huntingdon  county  forms  a  small 
portion  of  the  boundary  near  the  southwest  corner.  The  borough  of 
McVeytown  is  situated  in  this  township.  Near  McVeytown  are  large 
sand  quarries  from  which  large  quantities  of  sand  are  shipped  to  glass 
factories  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 

L^nion  township,  the  first  to  be  organized  after  the  erection  of  Mif- 
flin county,  lies  northwest  of  Jack's  mountain  and  extends  to  the  Hunt- 
ingdon county  line.  At  the  i\Iarch  term  of  the  jMiftlin  county  court  in 
1790  a  petition  was  presented  on  behalf  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  west 
end  of  Armagh  township,  asking  that  a  new  township  be  formed  and 
that  the  division  line  be  made,  "Beginning  at  a  certain  stream  of  water 
extending  from  the  Plumb  bottom  to  Kishacoquillas  creek,  emptying  into 
the  same  near  the  widow  Alexander's.''  At  the  June  term  in  the  same 
year  the  court  ordered  'That  the  said  township  of  Armagh  be  divided 
according  to  the  prayer  of  the  petitioners,  and  that  the  township  erected 
out  of  the  west  end  thereof  be  called  and  known  by  the  name  and  style 
of  Union  township,  and  that  the  inhabitants  thereof  choose  township 
officers  according  to  law." 

One  of  the  first  white  men  to  settle  in  what  is  now  Union  township 
was  James  Alexander,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1726,  but  came  to 
America  with  his  parents  when  he  was  but  ten  years  of  age.  The  fam- 
ily located  near  West  Nottingham,  Chester  county,  Pennsvlvania,  and 
when  the  purchase  of  1754  was  made  he  and  his  brother  Hugh  started 
for  the  new  domain  in  search  of  land.  Hugh  settled  in  Sherman's  val- 
ley. Perry  county,  but  James  came  on  to  the  valley  of  the  Kishacoquillas 


I30  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

creek,  \vhere  he  made  a  selection,  and  on  February  5,  1755,  he  received 
a  warrant  for  a  tract  containing  a  tritie  over  239  acres.  He  was  driven 
out  by  the  Indians  in  1756  and  did  not  return  to  his  frontier  farm  for 
six  years.  He  married  Rosie,  daughter  of  Robert  Reed,  of  Chambers- 
burg,  and  reared  a  family  of  eleven  children.  During  the  winter  of 
1777-78  he  served  in  the  commissary  department  of  General  Washing- 
ton's army  at  Valley  Forge,  for  which  service  he  received  1,600  acres  of 
land  in  Clearfield  county.  He  died  in  1791,  and  some  of  his  descendants 
still  reside  in  Mifflin  county. 

In  September,  1762,  Thomas  Ferguson  took  out  a  warrant  for  a  tract 
of  400  acres,  which  was  later  purchased  by  Robert  and  John  Campbell, 
who  settled  there  in  the  spring  of  1774.  In  July,  1762,  Caleb  Gordon 
entered  land  in  Union  township.  John  ^NIcKee  and  Samuel  ]\Iaclay  re- 
ceived their  land  warrants  on  August  i,  1766,  the  former  for  106  acres 
and  the  latter  for  352.  Other  early  settlers  were  David  Johnson,  Chris- 
tian Voght,  William  Baker,  the  Hartzlers,  Yoders,  Peacheys,  Rennos 
and  Zooks. 

The  last  named  families  were  either  Mennonites  or  Amish,  a  large 
number  of  people  belonging  to  these  religious  sects  locating  in  the 
township  before  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  centur}-.  The  assessment 
roll  of  the  township  for  1791 — the  first  after  its  erection — showed  the 
names  of  sixty-two  landowners,  who  held  about  10,000  acres.  There 
were  at  that  time  one  mill,  one  tan-yard,  two  negro  slaves  and  eight  still- 
houses  in  the  township,  which  had  a  total  population  of  about  600. 

The  western  part  of  L'nion  was  cut  off  in  1837  to  form  the  town- 
ship of  Menno,  leaving  it  only  about  one-half  its  original  size.  Since 
then  the  township  is  bounded  on  the  northwest  by  Huntingdon  county ; 
on  the  northeast  by  Brown  township ;  on  the  southeast  by  Granville  and 
Oliver,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  Jack's  mountain ;  and  on  the  south- 
west by  the  township  of  Menno.  The  most  thickly  settled  portion  is 
along  the  Kishacoquillas  creek,  and  Belleville  is  the  only  village  of  im- 
portance. 

No  record  of  the  early  schools  has  been  preserved.  At  the  Novem- 
ber term  of  court  in  1834  William  P.  Maclay  and  David  Zook  were 
appointed  school  directors  for  the  township,  and  the  following  March 
these  directors  established  nine  school  districts  (including  the  territorv 
cut  off  two  years  later  by  ]Menno  township).     A  township  high  school  is 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNL^TA    VALLEY  131 

now  established  at  Belleville,  and  in  19 12  thirteen  teachers  were  em- 
ployed in  the  public  schools. 

^^'ayne  township,  which  was  formed  seven  years  before  Mifflin 
county  was  erected,  occupies  the  extreme  southwestern  part  of  the 
county.  The  records  of  the  Cumberland  county  court  for  July,  1782, 
contain  the  following  entry : 

"Upon  the  petition  of  the  inhabitants  of  Derry  township  to  the 
court,  setting  forth  that  they  labour  under  considerable  disadvantage, 
from  the  great  extent  of  their  township  and  the  inconvenience  of  serv- 
ing in  public  offices  for  the  same,  met  by  appointment  on  Thursday,  the 
13th  day  of  June,  1782,  and  chose  Arthur  Buchanan,  Samuel  Holliday, 
John  Keever,  James  Ross,  Joseph  Westbrook,  W'illiam  Armstrong  aiid 
Matthew  Wakefield  to  form  a  line  to  divide  said  township  into  two 
equal  parts,  and  that  they  mutually  agreed  the  run  called  Brightfield's 
Run  should  be  the  division  line,  from  the  rise  of  the  main  branch  thereof 
until  the  mouth,  and  from  thence  in  the  course  that  it  enters  the  Juniata, 
directly  to  the  mountain.  And  praying  the  Court  that  the  said  division 
may  be  confirmed  and  entered  of  record  according  to  the  aforesaid 
line,  and  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  upper  division  desire  the  name  of 
their  township  may  be  distinguished  by  the  name  of  ^Vayne  township, 
which  division  having  been  taken  into  consideration  by  the  Court,  is 
accordingly  approved  and  confirmed,  and  that  the  upper  division  thereof 
be  distinguished  by  the  name  of  \\'ayne  township." 

The  assessment  rolls  for  1783  showed  the  names  of  121  landowners, 
holding  nearly  20,000  acres.  Besides  the  farming  interests  there  were 
in  the  township  two  saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  one  tan-yard  and  five  still- 
houses. 

The  first  warrant  issued  for  land  in  Wayne  township  was  dated 
February  14,  1755,  and  was  issued  to  Barnabas  Barnes  for  a  tract 
"situate  on  the  north  side  of  the  Juniata  river,  about  a  quarter  of  mile 
below  the  falls."  This  land  was  soon  after  sold  by  Barnes  to  Richard 
Tea,  who  sold  it  to  Daniel  Carmichael  in  December,  1767.  In  1762 
James  Ross,  Hugh  Brown,  John  Carmichael  and  Christian  Hamilton 
settled  in  the  township.  David  Jenkins,  a  native  of  Ireland,  was  a  sol- 
dier with  General  Braddock  in  1755.  Not  long  afterward  he  came  to  the 
Juniata  valley,  and  for  several  years  was  a  teacher  in  the  early  schools 
of  Mifflin  county.  His  wife,  a  Miss  Miller,  was  a  cousin  of  General 
Anthony  Wayne,  for  whom  the  township  was  named.     James  Jenkins, 


132  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

a  son  of  David,  was  with  the  Aaron  Burr  expedition  in  iSo6  and  later 
served  in  the  L'^nited  States  army  in  the  War  of  1S12.  Robert,  another 
son  was  also  in  the  War  of  1812  and  was  killed  at  Black  Rock.  On 
February  28,  1766,  George  Galloway  took  out  a  warrant  for  150  acres 
of  land  on  the  south  side  of  the  Juniata,  at  the  place  long  known  as 
Galloway's  ford.  Other  early  settlers  were  Alexander  McKinstry,  John 
Miller,  Patrick  Dunn,  William  Scott,  Arthur  Starr,  Joseph  Corbett,  John 
Cunningham,  William  Alorrison,  John  Unkles,  Samuel  McKeehan.  Fran- 
cis Hamilton,  Samuel  Drake,  James  Macklin  and  William  McMullen. 

Samuel  Drake  settled  on  fifty  acres  of  land  at  Jack's  Narrows,  where 
he  established  a  ferry  and  conducted  a  tavern  for  many  years.  About 
1840  he  removed  to  Newton  Hamilton,  where  he  passed  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  His  sons  continued  to  operate  the  ferry  for  several  years, 
when  they  also  located  in  Newton  Hamilton.  Drake's  ferry  was  known 
far  and  the  tavern  was  a  favorite  stopping  place  for  travelers.  It  was 
at  this  tavern  that  the  sheriff  of  Huntingdon  county  was  arrested  in 
1 79 1,  while  the  dispute  concerning  the  boundary  line  was  before  the 
people  of  the  two  counties,  an  account  of  which  may  be  found  in 
Chapter  IV. 

William  Scott's  warrant,  which  was  dated  February  22,  1776,  called 
for  100  acres  of  land,  including  the  site  of  the  present  village  of  Atkin- 
son's Mills,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  township. 

At  the  time  the  township  was  erected  the  line  ran  from  Concord  gap 
to  a  point  on  the  Juniata  between  2iIcVeytown  and  Gallow-ay's  ford  and 
included  territory  that  remained  a  part  of  Huntingdon  county  until 
annexed  to  Mifflin  by  the  act  of  April  15,  1834.  The  township  is  now 
bounded  on  the  north  and  west  by  Huntingdon  county ;  on  the  east  by  the 
townships  of  Oliver  and  Bratton;  and  on  the  south  by  Juniata  county, 
from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Blue  ridge.  The  Juniata  river  flows 
through  the  township,  and  closely  following  its  course  is  the  main  line 
of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  the  stations  in  Wayne  being  Vineyard, 
Ryde  and  Newton  Hamilton.  Large  sand  quarries  are  operated  at  Vine- 
yard. 

Probably  the  first  school  teacher  in  Wayne  was  David  Jenkins,  men- 
tioned above,  who  taught  in  a  small  house  built  of  poles  on  the  old 
Galloway  farm.  In  1793  there  was  a  school  house  on  the  farm  of  John 
James.      When  the  public   school   system   was   adopted   in    1834  John 


COURTHOUSE.   MIFFLIXTOWX. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  133 

Oliver,  Jr.,  and  Dr.  L.  G.  Snowden  were  appointed  school  directors  for 
the  township,  which  then  included  Oliver  and  Bratton,  in  which  they 
established  ten  school  districts  in  March,  1835.  In  1912  there  were 
eleven  teachers  employed  in  the  public  schools. 

In  1837  the  Matilda  furnace  was  built  on  the  Juniata  river,  opposite 
Mount  Union,  Huntingdon  county,  by  John  F.  Cottrell  and  others. 
Power  was  at  first  supplied  by  a  large  overshot  wheel  and  charcoal  was 
used  in  the  furnace,  but  in  185 1  the  plant  was  purchased  by  John  and 
Peter  Haldeman,  who  installed  a  steam  engine  and  began  the  use  of 
anthracite  coal.  The  furnace  was  operated  by  different  persons  at  inter- 
vals until  1884,  when  it  was  abandoned. 

Mifflin  county  has  but  four  boroughs — Lewistown,  McVeytown, 
Burnham  and  Newton  Hamilton — though  there  are  a  number  of  flour- 
ishing and  important  villages  that  have  never  been  incorporated.  Fore- 
most among  these  are  Allensville,  Belleville,  Granville,  Maitland,  Matta- 
wana,  Milroy,  Reedsville,  Wagner  and  Yeagertown. 

Lewistown  had  its  beginning  in  1754,  when  Robert  Buchanan  came 
from  Carlisle  and  established  a  trading  post  where  the  borough  now 
stands.  He  bought  the  site  from  an  Indian  chief  named  Pokety,  and 
the  settlement  that  grew  up  around  the  trading  post  was  at  first  called 
"Poketytown./.'  It  was  also  called  Old  Town  and  Kishacoquillas'  Old 
Town.  In  1856,  upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Indian  hostilities.  Bu- 
chanan was  warned  of  his  danger  by  Kishacocjuillas,  the  Shawnee  chief, 
and  returned  to  Carlisle.  He  came  back  to  his  trading  post  some  years 
later,  and  in  July,  1762,  took  out  a  warrant  for  his  land.  Poketytown 
is  described  in  the  Columbia  Magazine  in  1788  as  "consisting  only  of  a 
tavern  and  a  few  scattered  hovels  and  containing  nothing  worth  notice." 

\\'hen  Mifflin  county  was  erected  in  1789,  the  county  seat  was  located 
by  the  organic  act  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kishacoquillas  creek,  and  when 
the  town  was  laid  out  later  in  the  year  by  Samuel  Edmiston  and  James 
Potter,  it  was  given  the  name  of  Lewistown,  in  honor  of  William  Lewis, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  from  Berks  county  and  to  whose 
efforts  was  largely  due  the  location  of  the  seat  of  justice  at  that  point, 
instead  of  below  the  long  narrows,  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the 
county  seat  of  Juniata  county. 

On  April  11,  1795,  Governor  Mifllin  approved  an  act  for  the  incor- 
poration of  Lewistown  as  a  borough,  with  the  following  limits  or  boun- 


134  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

daries :  "Beginning  at  a  post  on  the  bank  of  the  river  Juniata,  thence 
north  38°  west  to  a  post,  thence  north  52°  east  161  perches  to  a  post, 
thence  south  38°  east  143  perches  to  a  post  on  the  south  side  of  Kisha- 
cocjuillas  creek,  thence  down  said  creek  south  85°  west  17  perches  to  a 
post,  thence  north  68°  west  50  perches,  thence  south  62°  west  22  perches 
to  the  mouth  of  the  said  creek,  thence  up  the  said  river  north  78°  west 
45  perches  and  thence  west  32  perches  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

"The  L'nited  States  Gazetteer"  for  1795,  the  year  Lewistown  was  in- 
corporated as  a  borough,  describes  it  as  "the  chief  town  in  }ilifthn  county, 
Pennsylvania,  situated  on  the  north  side  of  the  Juniata  river  at  the 
mouth  of  Cishicoquilis  creek.  It  is  regularly  laid  out  and  contains  about 
120  dwellings,  a  court-house  and  a  jail.  A  court  of  common  pleas  and 
general  c^uarter  sessions  is  held  here  the  second  ^Monday  in  January, 
April,  August  and  November.  It  is  150  miles  W.X.W.  of  Philadel- 
phia." 

By  the  act  of  incorporation  the  first  borough  officers  were  named  as 
follows:  Joseph  Cogill,  chief  burgess;  George  McClellan,  burgess; 
Robert  Patterson  and  JNIichael  Foncannon,  burgesses'  assistants ;  James 
Robertson,  town  clerk;  Jeremiah  Daily,  high  constable.  It  was  further 
provided  that  these  officers  should  serve  until  the  first  ^Monday  in  ^lay, 
1796,  when  the  first  borough  election  should  be  held.  A  supplementary 
act,  approved  by  Governor  Snyder  on  February  6,  181 1,  provided  for 
the  election,  "on  the  Friday  next  preceding  the  third  Saturday  of  March 
next,  and  on  the  same  day  in  every  year  hereafter,"  of  a  chief  burgess, 
an  assistant  burgess,  five  reputable  citizens  to  be  a  town  council,  and  one 
reputable  citizen  to  be  a  high  constable. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  town  travel  was  obstructed  by  a  great  many 
stumps  in  the  streets.  One  of  the  early  ordinances  imposed  as  a  penalty 
for  drunkenness  the  digging  out  of  one  of  these  stumps.  Sometimes  the 
sentence  would  be  suspended  until  a  number  of  men  had  been  found 
guilty,  when  the  culprits  would  be  rounded  up  by  the  constable  and 
a  "stump-pulling  bee"  would  be  the  result.  On  such  occasions  the  stumps 
extracted  were  used  to  fill  a  ravine  that  ran  through  the  town. 

A  market-house  was  erected  north  of  the  court-house  about  1796 
and  was  used  until  the  spring  of  18 19,  when  the  council  passed  an 
ordinance  declaring  it  a  nuisance  and  ordering  its  sale.  It  was  merely 
an  open  shed,  the  roof  being  supported  on  brick  columns.     A  second 


HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY  135 

market-house  was  built  on  the  southwest  corner  of  the  public  square  in 
1S33  and  continued  in  service  for  ten  years.  It  was  taken  down  at  the 
same  time  as  the  old  court-house,  in  1843.  ^Y  'i"  ^ct  of  the  legislature, 
approved  on  April  27,  1844,  the  authorities  were  given  power  to  pur- 
chase a  lot  and  erect  thereon  a  market-house  and  town  hall.  A  lot  at 
the  corner  of  Main  and  Third  streets  was  purchased  and  a  town  hall 
and  market-house  built  the  same  year.  ^Markets  were  held  in  this  build- 
ing at  irregular  intervals  until  1870,  when  they  were  abandoned  entirely. 
The  Lewistown  Market-House  Company  was  organized  in  19 10,  and 
the  succeeding  year  erected  a  market-house  on  Third  street  between 
Main  and  Wayne  streets,  with  a  public  hall  on  the  second  floor. 

On  February  23,  1815,  the  burgess  and  council  passed  an  ordinance 
providing  that  every  owner  of  a  house  "shall  furnish  the  same  with 
leathern  fire-buckets,  which  buckets  shall  be  kept  in  the  entry  or  such 
other  part  of  the  house  as  shall  be  most  easy  of  access,  and  be  marked 
with  the  owner's  name  or  initials  thereof,  and  shall  be  kept  in  good 
repair  for  using  at  all  times  in  case  of  fire."  This  was  the  first  step 
toward  providing  fire  protection.  An  engine  was  purchased  not  long 
afterward,  and  in  April,  1817,  was  placed  under  the  direction  of  the 
corporation  of  the  borough  of  Lewistown,  "for  the  better  and  more  per- 
fect organization  of  a  Fire  Engine  Company,"  the  first  record  of  a 
regularly  organized  company  until  August,  1834,  when  the  "Kite  Fire 
Company,"  composed  of  boys,  was  formed.  The  Juniata  Fire  Company 
was  incorporated  by  the  act  of  June  22,  1839.  In  the  spring  of  1843 
two  companies — the  Fame  and  the  Henderson  Hook  and  Ladder  Com- 
pany— were  organized.  In  October,  1877,  the  council  purchased  a 
Silsby  steamer,  which  was  named  "Henderson,"  and  placed  in  charge 
of  the  company  of  that  name.  The  steamer  was  kept  in  the  old  Luth- 
eran church  on  Third  street,  which  had  been  bought  by  the  borough 
some  years  before  for  that  purpose.  In  1913  there  were  five  companies 
in  the  city,  including  the  one  at  Lewistown  Junction  across  the  Juniata 
river.  Two  of  these  companies  are  equipped  with  steam  engines ;  there 
are  two  automobile  hose  trucks,  a  hook  and  ladder  truck,  etc.  The 
Henderson  Company  is  still  located  on  Third  street ;  the  Fame  and  City 
companies  on  Valley  street,  and  the  Brooklyn  Company  is  located  on 
Hale  street. 

A  police  force,  consisting  of  a  captain  and  first  and  second  lieuten- 


136  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

ants,  was  organized  under  the  ordinance  of  February  4,  1850.  These 
officers  were  authorized  "to  appoint  a  proper  number  of  citizens  in  each 
ward  to  patrol  the  streets  and  alleys  during  the  night."  The  reason 
for  this  action  was  that  a  short  time  before  there  had  been  a  number  of 
serious  fires  which  were  believed  to  have  been  the  work  of  incendiaries 
and  the  police  force  was  established  to  capture  the  offenders.  The  pres- 
ent force  consists  of  two  patrolmen. 

By  the  act  of  April  10,  1826,  the  borough  of  Lewistown  was  author- 
ized to  establish  a  system  of  water-works  and  to  borrow,  not  to  exceed 
$8,000,  for  the  purpose,  the  work  of  construction  to  be  commenced 
within  five  years.  Work  was  commenced  early  in  1829  and  continued 
for  some  time,  Init  the  supply  of  water  was  never  delivered  to  the  people 
of  the  town.  The  Lewistown  Water  Company  was  incorporated  on 
April  16,  1838,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $15,000  and  power  "to  purchase 
springs,  streams  of  water  or  water-power  for  their  purposes."  Work 
was  begun  on  the  reservoir  in  June,  1839,  and  it  was  completed  in  1843, 
when  the  first  hydrants  were  placed  on  the  streets.  The  first  water 
came  from  half  a  mile  west  of  the  borough  limits,  where  some  springs 
along  Minehart's  run  were  leased  by  the  company.  The  capital  stock 
was  increased  $10,000  in  1843,  s"d  in  1846  twelve  acres  of  land,  includ- 
ing the  springs,  were  purchased  of  David  W.  Hulings.  In  1865  there 
were  about  two  and  a  half  miles  of  pipe  laid.  Since  then  the  lines  have 
been  extended  and  the  capital  stock  increased  from  time  to  time  until 
the  company  now  supplies  Lewistown,  Burnham,  Y'eagertown,  Reeds- 
ville  and  Milroy.  Besides  the  old  source  of  supply  at  Minehart's  run, 
new  sources  have  been  developed  at  Cooper's  gap.  north  of  Lewistown, 
Laurel  run  and  Treaster's  run,  also  north  of  the  city.  The  five  dis- 
tributing reservoirs  established  at  convenient  points  have  a  capacity  of 
15,000,000  gallons,  and  the  cpiality  of  the  water  is  unsurpassed,  as  shown 
by  analyses. 

The  Lewistown  &  Reedsville  electric  railway  was  established  in  1900. 
The  first  line  ran  from  Lewistown  to  Reedsville,  a  distance  of  about  six 
miles.  Subsequently  the  tracks  were  extended  across  the  Juniata  to 
Lewistown  Junction  and  a  branch  east  of  Lewistown  runs  to  Burnham 
and  to  Burnham  Park,  an  amusement  resort  established  in  1905  by  the 
street  railroad  company. 

On  April  6,   1855,  the  Lewistown  Gas  Company  was  incorporated. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  137 

and  before  the  close  of  the  year  a  plant  was  erected  at  the  foot  of  Mar- 
ket street.  The  Electric  Light  Company  was  chartered  in  1889,  and 
some  years  later  both  these  companies  were  merged  into  the  Penn  Cen- 
tral Light  and  Power  Company,  which  fnrnishes  gas  and  electric  light 
and  power  to  a  number  of  towns  and  boroughs  in  the  Juniata  Valley 
and  adjoining  territory. 

In  1800,  the  first  United  States  census  after  Lewistown  was  in- 
corporated, the  borough  had  a  population  of  523.  Each  census  year  has 
shown  a  substantial  increase,  until  in  1910  the  population  was  8,166. 
The  borough  has  four  banking  institutions,  a  high  school  and  four  ward 
school  buildings  of  modern  t}-pe.  the  principal  streets  are  paved  with 
brick,  there  are  a  number  of  well-appointed  mercantile  houses  and  manu- 
facturing concerns,  good  hotels,  local  and  long  distance  telephone  serv- 
ice, good  transportation  facilities,  and  a  number  of  fine  church  edifices 
of  different  denominations. 

McVeytown  (formerly  W'aynesburg)  was  founded  by  John  McVey, 
who  took  out  a  land  warrant  for  200  acres  of  land  where  the  borough 
now  stands,  in  July,  1787.  Samuel  Holliday  had  settled  there  in  1762, 
but  it  was  nijt  until  1795  that  W'aynesburg  was  laid  out.  John  Haman 
and  Edward  Dougherty  were  also  early  settlers.  The  completion  of  the 
canal  in  1830  gave  an  impetus  to  W'aynesburg  and  brought  an  increase 
of  population.  On  April  9.  1833,  Governor  Wolfe  approved  an  act  to 
incorporate  W'aynesburg  as  a  borough  under  the  name  of  McVeytown. 
The  first  election  was  held  on  ]\Iarch  21,  1834,  at  which  John  M.  Barton 
was  elected  burgess ;  G.  H.  Galbraith,  Richard  Miles,  John  Haman,  Revel 
Elton  and  William  Rook,  members  of  the  town  council.  By  a  supple- 
mentary act,  approved  on  May  9.  1841,  the  boundaries  of  the  borough 
were  extended  and  the  burgess  and  council  were  granted  additional 
powers.  A  local  newspaper  called  The  People's  Friend  was  started  by 
William  D.  Mc\^ey  in  the  spring  of  1842,  and  the  first  public  school 
building  in  the  borough  was  erected  on  a  lot  donated  by  Samuel  Holli- 
day. It  was  torn  down  in  1844  and  a  larger  one  erected  in  its  place.  In 
1840  the  population  of  McVeytown  was  348.  This  had  increased  to  679 
in  1880,  since  which  time  there  has  been  a  slight  decrease,  the  census 
of  19 10  showing  514  inhabitants.  Including  the  railroad  station  of 
Mattawana  (also  called  McVeytown)  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Juniata, 
the  population  in  1910  was  785.     McA'eytown  has  a  national  bank,  sev- 


138  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY 

eral  good  stores,  churches  of  different  religious  faiths,  a  money  order 
postoffice,  etc. 

The  borough  of  Xewton  Hamilton  is  located  upon  land  entered  by 
Hugh  Brown  in  1762.  The  town  was  laid  out  about  1802,  and  in  1828 
Elijah  Davis  opened  a  store.  John  Postlethwait  started  a  tavern  called 
the  Logan  House  the  following  year.  Robert  Thompson  &  Company 
and  Richard  A.  McDowell  &  Company  were  among  the  early  mercantile 
firms.  A  school  was  taught  by  Samuel  Cross  in  1830  in  a  house  next  to 
the  old  Sigler  residence.  In  1838  a  stone  school  house  was  erected  and 
was  used  for  many  years,  when  the  present  building  was  erected.  By 
an  act  of  the  legislature,  approved  on  April  12,  1843.  Xewton  Hamilton 
was  incorporated  as  a  borough,  and  the  first  election  was  held  in  March, 
1844,  when  John  Morrison  was  elected  burgess;  Robert  A.  McDowell, 
Benjamin  Norton,  Joseph  H.  ]\Iorrison,  John  AV.  Smith,  Samuel  D. 
Postlethwait,  Samuel  Drake,  Charles  Knox  and  James  D.  ^Morrison, 
members  of  the  first  town  council.  A  Presbyterian  church  was  organized 
in  the  spring  of  1838,  a  ^Methodist  church  having  been  organized  some 
twelve  years  sooner.  In  1872  a  camp-meeting  association  was  organ- 
ized and  purchased  thirty-six  acres  near  the  borough.  In  1850  Newton 
Hamilton  contained  nearly  100  taxpayers  and  a  total  population  of  353. 
Very  little  change  has  been  made  in  the  number  of  inhabitants  since  the 
incorporation,  the  population  in  19 10  being  340.  A  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished at  this  point  in  1836,  with  Philip  Strouse  as  the  first  postmaster. 
The  borough  is  located  on  the  main  line  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad 
twenty-two  miles  southwest  of  Lewistown  and  not  far  from  the  Hunt- 
ingdon county  line. 

AUenville  (or  Allensville),  one  of  the  old  settlements  of  the  county, 
was  laid  out  about  1806.  A  store  was  opened  soon  after  that,  and  in 
18 19  Christopher  Howell  opened  a  hotel  and  also  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising. A  Presbyterian  church  was  built  in  1800  and  a  Lutheran  church 
in  1827.  Allensville  is  located  in  the  western  part  of  Alenno  township, 
not  far  from  the  Huntingdon  county  line,  and  being  some  distance  from 
a  railroad  its  growth  has  not  been  what  its  founders  anticipated.  In  19 10 
it  reported  a  population  of  338.  It  has  a  money  order  postofiice,  and  is 
a  rallying  point  and  trading  center  for  that  section  of  the  county. 

Belleville,  one  of  the  most  important  unincorporated  towns  of  Mif- 
flin county,  is  situated  in  L'nion  township,  almost  due  west  of  Lewis- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  139 

town,  and  is  the  terminus  of  the  Kishacoquillas  Valley  railroad.  The 
first  settler  here  was  Joseph  Greenwood,  who  started  a  blacksmith  shop, 
and  the  little  village  that  grew  up  around  his  shop  was  at  first  called 
Greenwood.  A  postoffice  was  established  about  1800  by  the  name  of 
Belleville,  and  that  name  was  afterward  applied  to  the  village.  Kirk  & 
Steel  were  the  first  merchants.  Among  the  early  industries  was  a  sickle 
factorv,  established  in  connection  with  his  blacksmith  shop  by  Jesse 
Tanier.  The  first  tavern  was  opened  by  James  Poe  in  the  early  '30s. 
As  Belleville  grew  and  its  limits  were  extended  it  absorbed  the  old  town 
of  Mechanicsville.  which  was  laid  out  in  1832  on  the  farm  of  David 
Zook.  Belleville  is  the  headquarters  of  the  Kishacoquillas  Mutual  Fire 
Insurance  Company,  which  was  incorporated  by  the  Mifflin  county 
courts  on  February  9,  1854.  The  town  has  two  national  banks,  a  num- 
ber of  good  mercantile  establishments,  churches  of  various  denomina- 
tions, and  the  Union  township  high  school  is  located  here.  The  popula- 
tion in  1910  was  1,000. 

Burnham  (formerly  Logan)  is  the  outgrowth  of  the  iron  industry 
at  that  point,  beginning  with  the  establishment  of  Freedom  forge  in 
1795.  A  small  settlement  grew  up  about  the  forge  and  in  time  devel- 
oped into  a  considerable  village.  The  plant  of  the  Freedom  Company 
was  purchased  by  the  Logan  Iron  and  Steel  Company  in  1871,  when  the 
village  took  the  name  of  the  new  company.  North  of  the  original  works 
a  new  establishment  was  started  in  November,  1868,  for  the  manufacture 
of  steel  bv  the  Bessemer  process,  but  it  was  discontinued  the  succeeding 
year.  In  1S71  William  Butcher,  of  Philadelphia,  bought  the  plant  and 
began  the  manufacture  of  steel  tires,  but  became  financially  embarrassed 
and  turned  the  works  over  to  his  creditors,  who  organized  the  Standard 
Steel  Company,  and  the  village  later  came  to  be  called  Burnham,  after 
one  of  the  head  men  of  the  Standard  Company.  At  the  January  ses- 
sions of  the  court  in  191 1  a  petition  was  presented  asking  for  the  in- 
corporation of  Burnham  as  a  borough,  and  on  June  26,  191 1,  the  court 
granted  the  prayer  of  the  petitioners,  fixed  the  boundaries  and  ordered 
an  election  for  the  20th  of  July  following.  At  the  election  R.  L.  Eward 
was  elected  chief  burgess :  A.  M.  Plank,  tax  collector :  J.  L.  Groninger, 
constable;  Miller  Leeper,  Cloyd  Williams,  David  Thomas,  A.  K.  An- 
drews, John  Ward,  Albert  Reich  and  Frank  Broome,  councilmen.  Sub- 
sequently the  borough  limits  were  extended  to  include  a  wider  scope  of 


I40  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

territory.  Burnham  is  a  station  on  the  Rlilroy  I^ranch  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania railroad,  four  miles  north  of  Lewistown,  with  which  it  is  con- 
nected by  electric  railway.    The  population  in  1910  was  585. 

Granville,  a  station  on  the  main  line  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad, 
takes  its  name  from  old  Fort  Granville.  \Valter  Owen  opened  a  store 
here  in  1865,  and  the  next  year  the  railroad  company  made  it  a  passenger 
station.  A  postoffice  was  established  in  that  year  imder  the  name  of 
Granville,  the  place  having  been  known  prior  to  that  time  as  "W'olfkill's 
Siding."     In  19 10  Granville  reported  a  population  of  219. 

IMaitland  is  a  village  of  159  inhabitants  on  the  Sunbury  division  of  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad,  five  miles  northeast  of  Lewistown.  A  writer  in 
1885  describes  it  as  having  "a  postoffice,  store,  depot,  school  house  and 
a  few  dwellings."  That  description  would  apply  to  the  village  to-day, 
except  the  number  of  dwellings  has  slightly  increased. 

Milroy,  situated  in  the  western  part  of  Armagh  township,  twelve 
miles  north  of  Lewistown,  was  originally  known  as  Perryville,  after  an 
early  settler.  In  1850  the  name  was  changed  to  Milroy,  a  postoffice  by 
that  name  having  been  established  there  some  time  in  the  early  part  of 
that  year.  An  iron  furnace  was  started  at  Milroy  in  1828,  and  in  1868 
Joseph  Wagner  established  a  foundry.  Another  early  industry  was  a 
tannery  started  by  James  Milroy  while  the  town  was  in  its  infancy. 
James  Johnson  was  one  of  the  pioneer  merchants,  and  John  Fertig  had 
a  distillery  at  Perryville.  It  was  located  in  the  basement  of  his  house, 
which  was  the  first  dwelling  in  the  village.  A  Presbyterian  church  was 
built  in  1833,  and  a  Methodist  congregation  was  organized  in  1825,  when 
a  small  house  of  worship  was  built.  It  was  replaced  by  a  larger  edifice 
in  1846.  A  Lutheran  church  was  established  in  1857.  Milroy  is  the 
terminus  of  a  branch  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  that  connects  with 
the  main  line  at  Lewistown  Junction.  It  has  a  bank,  a  good  public 
school,  several  good  mercantile  establishments,  etc.,  and  in  1910  reported 
a  population  of  1,000,  but  it  is  not  incorporated. 

Reedsville,  with  a  population  of  900,  is  located  in  the  Kishaco- 
quillas  valley  and  is  a  station  on  the  Milroy  branch  of  the  Pennsylvania 
railroad,  seven  miles  from  Lewistown.  The  first  settler  at  this  place 
was  Judge  William  Brown,  who  built  a  saw-mill  and  a  grist-mill,  and 
until  the  village  was  laid  out,  aljout  1838,  the  place  was  known  as 
"Brown's  I\Iills."    At  the  time  the  village  was  laid  out  there  were  about 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  141 

twenty  houses  there  and  a  tavern  had  been  conducted  for  many  years. 
A  large  brick  hotel  was  built  soon  after  the  town  was  laid  out.  Reeds- 
ville  is  also  connected  with  Lewistown  by  electric  railway.  It  has  a  bank, 
the  Brown  township  high  school,  several  good  stores,  hotel,  etc.,  and  is 
supplied  with  water  by  the  Lewistown  Water  Company. 

Wagner,  a  station  on  the  Sunbury  division  of  the  Pennsylvania  rail- 
road, had  its  beginning  in  186S,  when  the  railroad  was  completed.  A 
tan-yard  had  been  started  there  in  1853  by  William  Mitchell  &  Son,  and 
doubtless  had  some  influence  in  securing  the  location  of  a  station.  Soon 
after  the  railroad  was  opened  for  business  a  postoffice  was  established 
and  a  store  opened.    In  1910  it  had  a  population  of  158. 

Yeagertown,  situated  on  the  Kishacoquillas  creek,  about  a  mile  above 
Burnham,  and  connected  with  Lewistown  and  other  points  along  the 
Kishacoquillas  by  electric  railway,  is  the  outgrowth  of  a  settlement  that 
grew  up  about  the  saw-mill  and  grist-mill  erected  there  at  an  early  date. 
James  Mayes  settled  in  that  section  in  1790  and  built  a  tavern  which  was 
kept  by  different  persons  for  many  years.  In  1S42  Jacob  Yeager  came 
with  his  family  from  Dauphin  county  and  purchased  the  mill  property. 
Simon  Yeager  opened  a  store  in  1857,  though  he  had  been  a  resident  of 
the  village  for  a  number  of  years  prior  to  that  date.  Jonathan  Yeager 
opened  a  tavern  in  1845,  and  Jeremiah  Yeager  bought  and  rebuilt  the 
mill  in  1859.  Through  the  activity  of  the  members  of  this  family  the 
place  came  to  be  known  as  Yeagertown.  In  1910  the  village  had  a 
population  of  600.  The  Derry  township  high  school  is  at  Yeagertown, 
which  has  a  number  of  stores  and  some  manufacturing  enterprises. 

In  addition  to  the  boroughs  and  villages  above  enumerated  and  de- 
scribed, the  postoffices  of  Mifflin  county  are  Kishacoquillas,  five  miles 
northwest  of  Lewistown ;  Mattawana,  just  across  the  Juniata  from  Mc- 
Veytown;  Naginey,  the  first  station  on  the  railroad  south  of  Milroy; 
Paintersville,  on  the  Sunbury  railroad,  eight  miles  from  Lewistown; 
Ryde,  on  the  main  line  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  seventeen  miles 
west  of  Lewistown ;  Shindle,  eleven  miles  northeast  of  Lewistown 
on  the  Sunbury  division;  and  Strodes  Mills,  on  a  branch  of  the 
Kishacoquillas  creek,  six  miles  southwest  of  Lewistown.  There  are 
ten  free  rural  delivery  routes  in  the  county,  to  wit :  Four  from 
Lewistown,  two  from  Belleville,  and  one  each  from  McVeytown,  Milroy, 
Newton  Hamilton  and  Reedsville. 


CHAPTER    VIII 

JUNIATA   COUNTY,   ORGANIZATION,   ETC. 

Juniata  Originally  a  Part  of  Mifflin  County — Dissensions  over  the  Location  of  the 
County  Seat — Petitions  to  the  Legislature  to  Change  Location — Agitation  for  a 
New  County — A  Peculiar  Highway — Memorial  to  the  General  Assembly — Petition 
of  Protest — John  Cummins — ^Juniata  County  Erected — First  Court-House — Jail — 
Present  Court-House — Form  of  the  County — Area — Boundaries — Never  Had  a 
Poor-House — The  Civil  List. 

JUNIATA  county  is  a  child  of  much  tribulation,  ^^■hen  the  county 
of  Mifflin  was  created  by  the  act  of  September  19,  1789,  there 
arose  a  great  deal  of  dissatisfaction  among  the  people  living 
in  the  southern  and  western  townships  over  the  location  of  the  county 
seat.  In  the  chapter  on  Mifflin  county  may  be  found  an  account  of 
the  change  in  boundaries  from  those  first  proposed,  which  change  in- 
fluenced the  legislature  to  provide  for  the  location  of  the  county 
seat  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kishacoquillas  creek,  and  which  was  the 
cause  of  most,  if  not  all,  the  dissatisfaction  that  later  developed  in  that 
part  of  the  county  lying  below  the  Narrows.  On  November  14,  1789, 
the  people  living  in  that  part  of  ]\Iifflin  county  addressed  a  communi- 
cation to  the  legislature,  setting  forth  that  it  was  their  intention 
to  use  every  honorable  means  to  secure  a  change  in  the  location  of 
the  seat  of  justice.  The  communication  expressed  the  belief  that  a 
time  would  come  when  territory  would  be  taken  from  the  northern 
part  of  Mifflin  county,  and  declared  that,  when  that  time  came,  the 
people  living  below  the  Narrows  would  assert  their  just  rights,  "thereby 
undeceiving  every  person  who  might  have  an  inclination  to  purchase 
in  the  borough  of  Lewistown,  in  order  that  they  might  judge  for  them- 
selves with  regard  to  the  seat  of  justice  remaining  in  that  place, 
and  those  who  purchased  cannot  plead  ignorance  of  an  existing  dis- 
pute, but  are  on  the  same  footing  with  a  person  purchasing  his  chance 
of  a  disputed  title." 

142 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  143 

Again,  on  February  9,  1790,  a  similar  statement  was  promulgated 
by  the  disaffected  citizens,  and  from  that  time  until  Juniata  was  cut 
off  as  a  separate  county  the  strife  went  on.  The  movement  to  change 
the  location  of  the  county  seat  received  a  fresh  impetus  when,  on  Feb- 
ruary 13,  1800,  the  legislature  passed  an  act  erecting  Centre  county, 
taking  a  generous  slice  from  the  northern  part  of  Mifflin  for  that  pur- 
pose. A  lengthy  petition,  reviewing  the  history  of  the  organization  of 
Mifflin  county  and  the  origin  of  the  dispute,  and  asking  for  a  removal 
of  the  seat  of  justice,  was  presented  to  the  legislature  of  1801-02.  The 
principal  paragraphs  of  this  petition  were  as  follows : 

"That  numbers  of  your  petitioners  who  live  below  the  Long  Nar- 
rows (and  have  the  same  to  pass  through  to  get  to  Lewistown)  live 
at  the  distance  of  T,y  miles  from  thence;  and  those  who  live  above  the 
Narrows  (except  a  few  persons  in  the  west  end  of  Wayne  township, 
who  are  petitioning  to  be  annexed  to  Huntingdon  County)  do  not 
exceed  eighteen  miles  from  their  Seat  of  Justice. 

"That  your  Petitioners  believe,  as  to  numbers  of  those  above  and 
below  the  Narrows,  very  little  difference  exists,  but  claim  the  majority, 
and  contend  the  town  of  Mifflin  to  be  much  more  central  and  con- 
venient than  Lewistown,  taking  into  view  the  local  situation  of  Mifflin 
County  as  it  at  present  stands ;  also  a  further  and  very  material  accom- 
modation of  Greenwood  township,  in  Cumberland,  Mahantango  and 
Beaver  Dam  townships,  in  Northumberland,  and  Dublin,  in  Hunting- 
don Counties,  the  three  latter  of  whom  have  petitioned  to  be  annexed 
to  Mifflin  County  on  proviso  that  the  Seat  of  Justice  be  removed  to 
the  town  of  Mifflin." 

Upon  the  refusal  of  the  legislature  to  grant  the  request  of  the  peti- 
tioners, an  agitation  was  started  for  a  division  of  the  county  of  Mifflin. 
More  than  ten  years  elapsed  before  this  movement  assumed  anything 
like  definite  shape,  but  the  people  below  the  Narrows  sent  a  petition, 
signed  by  a  large  majority  of  the  voters  living  in  that  part  of  the 
county,  to  the  legislature  of  1813,  praying  for  the  erection  of  a  new 
county.  Early  in  February  of  that  year  there  was  introduced  in  the 
state  senate  a  bill  entitled  "An  act  erecting  that  part  of  Mifflin  county 
which  lies  east  of  and  below  the  Black  Log  mountain  and  Long  Nar- 
rows into  a  separate  county."  After  some  discussion  the  title  of  the 
measure  was  changed  to  "An  act  erecting  part  of  Mifflin  county  into 
a  separate  county,  to  be  called  Juniata,"  and  hopes  were  entertained 


144  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

that  it  would  become  a  law.  It  was  finally  defeated,  however,  and 
the  petitioners  buckled  on  their  armor  for  another  contest.  Again  the 
work  of  circulating  petitions  for  a  division  of  the  county  was  com- 
menced, but  this  time  the  people  living  above  the  Narrows  got  up  a 
counter  petition,  the  county  officers  and  tavern-keepers  of  Lewistown 
being  particularly  active  in  their  opposition. 

The  statement  in  the  petition  of  1801,  that  "numbers  who  live 
below  the  Long  Narrows  (and  have  the  same  to  pass  through  to  get 
to  Lewistown)  live  at  a  distance  of  2>7  niiles  from  thence."  could 
neither  be  denied  nor  ignored,  and,  to  provide  for  a  shorter  rrnite,  the 
opponents  of  division  petitioned  the  court  "for  a  road  across  the  moun- 
tains from  Lewistown  into  Tuscarora  valley."  Road  viewers  were 
appointed  and  made  a  favorable  report,  which  was  confirmed  by  the 
court,  and  a  road  six  feet  in  width  was  ordered  to  be  laid  out.  but 
the  townships  through  which  it  passed  refused  to  open  it.  An  appro- 
priation of  $500  to  aid  in  its  construction  was  made  by  the  legislature 
of  1816,  and  the  money  was  used  to  build  part  of  the  road  from  Lewis- 
town  to  the  Licking  creek  valley.  Concerning  this  road,  Everts,  Peck 
&  Richards'  "History  of  the  Susquehanna  and  Juniata  Valleys,"  pub- 
lished in  1886.  says:  "It  has  in  some  places  a  grade  of  twenty-four 
degrees,  or  seven  feet  to  the  perch,  and  it  is  not  known  that  any  one 
ever  risked  his  neck  or  that  of  his  horse  in  riding  down  that  road, 
and  had  it  Iieen  finished  it  would  have  taken  five  thousand  dollars 
and  then  been  utterly  unfit  for  any  vehicle  except  a  one-wheeled  cart. 
It  crossed  the  Blue  Ridge  near  the  route  of  the  Fort  Granville  path,  and 
is  sometimes  mistaken  for  it,  though  both  may  yet  be  easily  found.  In 
1818  a  road  was  laid  out  from  the  paper-mill  to  intersect  this  tavern- 
keeper's  road.  Few  people  in  Licking  Creek  to-day  know  they  have  a 
laid-out  road  to  Lewistown." 

That  the  construction  of  this  road  failed  to  pacify  the  people  below 
the  Narrows  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  another  bill  providing  for  a 
division  of  Mifflin  county  passed  the  senate  in  the  session  of  1816, 
but  failed  to  pass  the  house.  Two  years  later,  in  the  session  of  1818-19, 
another  petition  came  before  the  legislature  praying  for  a  division  of 
the  county.  After  calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  petitions  had  been 
presented  to  the  general  assembly  every  year  for  seven  years,  and  that 
these  petitions  had  been  signed  by   from   11,000  to   13,000  bona  fide 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNL\TA    VALLEY  145 

residents  of  that  part  of  the  county  below  the  Narrows,  the  petition 
goes  on  to  show  the  existing  conditions,  as  follows : 

"The  old  townships  of  Milford  and  Fermanagh  alone  in  our  pro- 
posed new  county  are  now  nearly  as  numerous  and  much  more  wealthy, 
and  will  sell  for  more  money  than  all  the  county  of  Mifflin  would  have 
done  at  the  time  of  its  erection,  in  1789.  In  our  proposed  new  county 
we  have  twenty-eight  grist  and  merchant  mills,  forty-nine  saw-mills, 
three  fulling  mills,  thirteen  carding  machines,  three  oil-mills  and  one 
complete  paper  mill,  and  it  will  be  seen  by  the  printed  documents  here- 
with submitted  that  there  are  seventeen  counties  in  the  State  that  are 
fewer  in  number  than  either  the  old  or  new  county  would  be  if  divided, 
and  twenty  counties  in  the  State  in  which  the  lands  are  not  valued  half 
as  high  as  in  ^Mifflin  count)-,  and  some  of  them  are  entitled  to  two  mem- 
bers. 

"The  people  below  these  Narrows  have  all  to  come  from  east, 
south,  and  west  to  one  entering  place,  and  then  go  up  the  Long  Nar- 
rows and  through  the  mountains,  a  distance  of  nine  or  ten  miles — 
the  whole  distance  they  have  to  travel  to  the  seat  of  justice  is  from  nine 
to  forty  miles. 

"Nature  has  fixed  a  boundary,  which  ought,  at  least,  to  separate 
counties;  that  boundary  is  a  chain  of  high  mountains  between  Mifflin- 
town  and  Lewistown.  Besides,  there  exists  so  much  prejudice  and 
jealousy  between  the  people  above  and  those  below  that  almost  all 
public  improvement  is  at  a  stand  while  the  question  is  pending. 

"Therefore  your  memorialists  most  solemnly  pray  your  honorable 
bodies  to  restore  harmony  and  good  will  among  the  people  by  putting 
this  long-litigated  question  and  the  people  to  rest  by  passing  a  law  to 
divide  the  county  agreeably  to  the  prayers  of  the  petitioners,  and  they 
will,  as  in  duty  bound,  ever  pray." 

Petitions  of  protest  from  the  citizens  living  above  the  Narrows  were 
also  presented,  and  their  influence  seemed  to  weigh  more  with  the 
members  of  the  legislature  than  did  the  petition  from  those  living  below, 
as  no  action  was  taken  on  the  question  during  the  session.  Discour- 
aged by  repeated  defeats  and  rebuffs,  the  citizens  of  the  southern  and 
western  townships  for  a  time  ceased  their  efforts  to  secure  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  new  county,  ^^'ith  this  cessation  the  people  above  the 
Narrows  became  more  active.  In  1823  they  exerted  their  influence 
to  have  Lack  township  annexed  to  Perry  county,  and,  five  years  later, 
a  bill  was  introduced  in  the  general  assembly  to  annex  Greenwood  town- 
ship to  Union  county,  which  then  included  the  present  county  of  Snv- 


146  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUMATA    VALLEY 

der.  The  object  of  these  measures  was  to  get  rid  of  some  of  the  most 
active  advocates  of  county  division — those  who  had  to  travel  farthest 
to  reach  Lewistown — and  to  hold  the  central  part  of  what  is  now 
Juniata  county  to  INIifflin.  Xeither  of  the  bills  passed,  however,  and 
the  boundaries  of  Alifflin  county  remained  unchanged. 

In  1830  John  Cummins,  who  lived  below  the  Narrows,  was  elected 
to  represent  Mifflin  county  in  the  lower  house  of  the  state  legislature. 
His  election  gave  the  friends  of  division  fresh  hope,  and  he  did  not 
disappoint  them.  Early  in  the  session  he  introduced  a  bill  providing 
for  the  erection  of  a  new  county,  to  be  called  Juniata,  secured  its 
passage  in  the  house,  and,  after  it  was  sent  to  the  senate,  he  guarded 
it  with  zealous  care  until  it  finally  passed  that  body,  on  the  last  day 
of  February,  1831,  by  a  vote  of  18  to  12.  The  measure  was  approved 
by  Governor  Wolfe  on  March  2,  183 1,  and  the  long  dispute  was  settled, 
Juniata  county  taking  her  place  in  the  great  Commonwealth  of  Penn- 
sylvania as  a  separate  and  independent  organization. 

Section  i  of  the  bill  provided  "That  all  that  part  of  ^Mifflin  county 
laying  south  and  east  of  a  line  beginning  on  the  summit  of  Black  Log 
IMountain,  where  the  Huntingdon  county  line  crosses  the  same,  and 
running  thence  along  the  summit  thereof  to  the  Juniata  River;  thence 
along  the  same  to  a  marked  black  oak,  standing  by  the  road  on  the 
north  side  of  said  river,  about  the  middle  of  the  Long  Narrows, 
known  as  a  line-tree  between  Derry  and  Fermanagh  townships,  in 
said  county;  thence  along  the  summit  of  Shade  ^Mountain  to  the  line 
of  Union  county,  and  thence  along  said  line  down  Mahantango  Creek 
to  the  Susquehanna  river,  shall  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  erected  into 
a  separate  county,  to  be  called  Juniata." 

The  section  relating  to  the  location  of  the  county  seat  and  the 
manner  in  which  such  site  should  be  selected  was  as  follows :  "That 
the  Governor  be  and  he  is  hereby  authorized  and  required,  on  or  before 
the  first  day  of  May  next  ensuing,  to  appoint  three  discreet  and  disin- 
terested persons,  not  residents  in  the  counties  of  Mifflin  or  Juniata, 
whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  fix  on  a  proper  and  convenient  site  for  a  court- 
house, prison,  and  county  offices  within  the  aforesaid  county  of  Juniata, 
as  near  the  center  thereof  as  circumstances  will  admit,  having  regard 
to  the  convenience  of  roads,  territory,  population,  and  the  accommoda- 
tion of  the  people  of  the  said  county  generally." 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  147 

In  the  exercise  of  the  authority  thus  vested  in  him  Governor  Wolfe 
appointed  PhiHp  Benner,  of  Centre  county;  Joel  Baily,  of  Dauphin, 
and  Chauncey  Frisbie,  of  Bradford,  commissioners  to  visit  the  county 
and  select  a  proper  and  suitable  site  for  the  seat  of  justice.  The  com- 
missioners met  at  MifBintown  on  the  ist  of  June  and  entered  upon 
their  duties.  After  viewing  several  proposed  sites  in  the  Tuscarora 
valley,  on  Lost  creek,  in  Greenwood  township,  and  other  parts  of  the 
county,  they  reported  in  favor  of  Mifflintown,  which  has  since  remained 
the  seat  of  justice. 

On  March  22,  1832,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  the  county  a  location 
for  the  court-house,  twenty-seven  of  the  proprietors  of  IMifflintown 
conveyed  to  the  county  commissioners,  for  a  consideration  of  one  dol- 
lar, the  public  square  where  the  court-house  now  stands.  In  the  deed 
of  transfer  the  square  is  described  as  "the  same  piece  of  ground 
originally  laid  out  by  John  Harris,  the  proprietor  of  said  town,  and 
intended  by  him  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  now  conveyed,  and 
for  none  other." 

Thomas  McCurdy  submitted  plans  for  a  court-house,  which  were 
accepted  by  the  commissioners,  and  a  contract  was  entered  into  with 
Gustine  &  Oles  for  the  erection  of  the  building  for  $3,940.  The  court- 
house was  completed  before  the  close  of  the  year  1832,  and  the  last 
payment  was  made  on  January  22,  1833,  with  an  additional  sum  of 
$225.93  for  extra  work.  The  first  court  was  held  in  it  the  following 
May,  the  sessions  having  been  previously  held  in  the  old  stone  Pres- 
byterian church.  Soon  after  the  completion  of  the  court-house  the 
commissioners — George  Gilliford.  William  Wharton,  and  Louis  Evans 
— advertised  for  proposals  for  the  erection  of  a  stone  jail,  according 
to  plans  prepared  by  Everett  Oles,  such  proposals  to  be  submitted  by 
February  26,  1833.  Wise  &  McCurdy  were  awarded  the  contract  for 
$2,600,  and  the  jail  was  completed  that  year.  At  first  the  yard  in  the 
rear  of  the  jail  was  inclosed  by  a  high  wooden  fence,  but  subsequently 
a  stone  wall  was  built,  reaching  almost  to  the  eaves  of  the  two-story 
building.  The  jail  is  still  standing  on  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
public  square,  and,  after  eighty  years  of  service,  is  in  good  condition. 

In  February,  1868,  the  grand  jury  recommended  the  erection  of  a 
new  court-house,  and  immediately  a  movement  was  started  to  remove 
the  seat  of  justice  to  Perryville  ("now  Port  Royal).     For  a  time  excite- 


148  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

ment  ran  high,  and  the  question  was  brought  to  the  attention  of  the 
legislature  then  in  session.  The  result  was  that,  on  April  ii,  1868, 
Governor  Gear}-  approved  an  act  "Authorizing  an  election  to  be  held 
in  the  county  of  Juniata  relative  to  a  change  in  the  county  seat  and 
the  erection  of  new  buildings."  The  election  w'as  held  on  the  13th  of 
the  following  October,  and  resulted  in  2,122  votes  being  cast  for  Mif- 
flintown  and  1,165  foi"  Port  Royal.  Nothing  was  done  toward  the 
erection  of  a  new  court-house  for  nearly  five  years  after  that  election. 
At  the  April  term  of  the  court  of  quarter  sessions,  in  1873,  the  grand 
jury  reported  on  the  subject  as  follows : 

"The  grand  inquest  of  said  county  (Juniata)  would  respectfully 
report  that  an  inspection  of  the  court-house  has  counciled  them  that 
it  is  unfit  for  the  accommodation  of  persons  having  business  to  trans- 
act in  the  several  courts ;  and  also  unfit  for  a  proper  transaction  of 
business;  that  the  building  is  in  a  dilapidated  condition;  the  vaults  in 
which  the  public  records  are  kept  are  entirely  insecure;  the  offices  are 
illy  arranged,  and  the  court  room  entirely  too  small  to  accommodate 
the  citizens  of  the  county;  that  such  complaints  have  long  been  known 
to  and  made  by  the  citizens  of  the  county."' 

The  report  concluded  with  a  recommendation  to  the  court  to  direct 
the  commissioners  to  remodel  the  building  so  that  the  public  offices 
should  occupy  the  first  floor  and  the  court-room  the  second,  and  that 
such  additions  or  enlargements  be  made  as  might  be  necessary  to  carry 
out  the  recommendations.  No  action  was  taken  by  the  court  at  that 
session,  and  at  the  September  term  in  1873  an  entire  new  court-house 
was  recommended,  all  the  materials  in  the  old  one  fit  for  the  purpose 
to  be  used  in  the  new  building.  In  the  meantime  the  board  of  com- 
missioners instructed  the  president,  WilHam  L'lsh,  to  go  to  Harrisburg 
and  consult  with  L.  M.  Simon,  an  architect  of  that  city,  with  regard 
to  repairing  or  remodeling  the  old  building.  The  report  of  ^Ir.  L'lsh 
cannot  be  found,  but  it  is  probable  that  his  consultation  with  the  archi- 
tect was  in  some  degree  responsible  for  the  action  in  September.  On 
September  15,  1873,  the  commissioners  adopted  a  resolution  to  bor- 
row $50,000  under  the  provisions  of  an  act  passed  by  the  legislature 
on  April  9,  1868,  said  loan  to  be  secured  by  six  per  cent,  bonds,  pay- 
able in  eight  annual  instalments,  and  on  February  6,  1874,  a  contract 
was  made  with  G.  W.  Smith  for  the  removal  of  the  old  court-house. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  149 

A  little  later  a  contract  was  made  with  Hetrich  &  Fleisher,  of  Newport, 
to  build  the  new  court-house,  according  to  certain  plans  and  specifi- 
cations, for  $42,100,  though  some  changes  in  the  work  and  the  addition 
of  a  clock  and  bell,  with  the  installation  of  new  furniture  throughout, 
brought  the  total  cost  up  to  about  $63,000.  While  it  was  in  process  of 
erection  the  sessions  of  the  courts  were  held  in  the  Lutheran  church. 

On  the  first  floor  of  the  court-house  are  the  offices  of  the  register 
and  recorder,  the  prothonotary,  the  orphans'  court,  sherifif,  treasurer, 
and  county  commissioners.  The  second  floor  is  occupied  by  the  court- 
room, jury  rooms,  etc.,  and  on  a  third  floor  are  the  rooms  for  the  use 
of  the  grand  jury.  The  building  stands  upon  an  eminence  overlooking 
the  Juniata  river,  and  can  be  seen  for  some  distance  by  passengers  on 
the  Pennsylvania  railroad. 

Juniata  county  is  irregular  in  shape,  its  boundaries  being  formed 
by  natural  features,  such  as  creeks  and  mountain  chains.  From  the 
Susquehanna  river  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mahantango  creek  to  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  county,  where  it  touches  Huntingdon  and  Franklin 
counties,  the  distance  is  about  forty-five  miles.  The  widest  part  is 
east  of  the  Juniata  river,  where  it  is  about  ten  miles.  The  area  is 
360  square  miles,  or  230,400  acres,  nearly  two-thirds  of  which  is 
cleared  and  under  cultivation.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  and  north- 
west by  the  counties  of  Mifflin  and  Snyder;  on  the  east  by  the  Susque- 
hanna, which  separates  it  from  Northumberland  county ;  on  the  south- 
east by  Perry  and  Franklin  counties,  and  on  the  southwest  by  the 
county  of  Huntingdon. 

It  speaks  well  for  the  county  that  it  has  never  had  a  poorhouse. 
As  a  rule  the  people  are  industrious  and  self-sustaining,  hence  few 
paupers  have  ever  appealed  for  public  aid.  Those  few  have  been  taken 
care  of  by  the  authorities  of  the  townships  in  which  they  reside  or 
sojourn,  and  the  county  commissioners  have  not  deemed  it  necessary 
at  any  time  in  the  county's  history  to  go  to  the  expense  of  purchasing 
a  farm  and  erecting  a  home  for  the  poor.  In  the  matter  of  criminal 
historv  the  county  is  also  fortunate.  Two  men  have  been  executed 
in  the  old  jail  yard — the  only  two  legal  executions  in  the  county  in 
nearly  a  century — and  in  recent  years  the  jail  has  been  without  inmates 
more  than  two-thirds  of  the  time. 

Following  is  a  civil  list  of  the  officials  of  Juniata  county,  as  com- 


I50  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY 

pletely  as  it  could  be  obtained  from  the  records,  some  of  which  are 
missing.  In  this  Hst  the  names  of  the  county  ofihcers  prior  to  1885 
are  copied  from  a  Hst  made  by  Professor  A.  L.  Guss.  From  1885 
to  the  present  time  (1913)  they  have  been  taken  from  the  official 
records. 

Sheriffs — Amos  Gustine,   1831;  John  Beale,   1835;   Henry  Miller, 
1838;  William  W.   Wilson,    1840;  William  Bell,    1843;   Samuel   Mc- 
Williams,    1843;  David  McKinstry.    1850:  Joseph  Bell,    1853;   D.   M. 
Jamison,   1856;  George  Reynolds,   1859;  James  W.   Hamilton,   1862; 
Samuel  B.  Loudon,  1865;  John  Deitrich,  1868;  Joseph  Ard,  1871 ;  Wil- 
liam H.  Knouse,   1874;  W.   D.  Walls,   1877;  Joseph  B.  Kelly,   1880 
George  Shivery,  1883;  David  Fowler,  1885;  Franklin  W.  Noble,  1888 
Samuel  Lapp,  1891 ;  James  P.  Calhoun,  1894;  S.  Clayton  Stoner,  1897 
Theodore  J.  Schmittle,  1903;  Daniel  B.  Reitz,  1906;  R.  B.  Zimmerman, 
1909. 

Prothonotarics — William  W.  Kirk,  1831  ;  Robert  Patterson,  1836; 
Tobias  Kreider,  1839;  Lewis  Burchfield,  1839;  James  M.  Sellers.  1845; 
J.  Middagh,  1851;  Amos  H.  Martin,  1S54;  R.  M.  Sterrett,  i860; 
George  W.  Jacobs,  1863;  George  Reynolds,  1866;  Robert  E.  McMeen, 
1869;  I.  D.  Wallis,  1872;  Jacob  Beidler,  1876;  George  Reynolds,  1879; 
George  S.  Conn,  1882;  Theodore  H.  Meminger,  1883  (reelected  in 
1887);  John  W.  Gibbs,  1890;  W.  H.  Zeiders,  1896;  Styles  K.  Boden, 
1899;  H.  H.  Hartman,  1905;  S.  B.  Murray,  191 1. 

Registers  and  Recorders — James  S.  Law,  183 1;  Robert  Barnard, 
1833;  Tobias  Kreider,  1836;  Joseph  Bogg,  1839;  William  Reader, 
1845;  Benjamin  Bonsell,  1848;  Alexander  Magonigle,  1854;  Joseph  L. 
Stewart,  1855:  John  P.  Wharton,  1855;  R.  P.  McWilliams,  1861 ; 
Joshua  Beale,  1867;  Eli  Dunn,  1870:  J.  T.  Mittlin,  1873;  J-  D.  Musser, 
1876;  J.  M.  McDonald,  1880;  S.  Drady  Coveny,  1883:  Edward  E. 
Berry,  1885;  John  R.  Jenkins,  1891 ;  Anson  B.  Will,  1894;  George  B. 
Cramer,  1897;  Elmer  G.  Beale,  1903  ;  G.  Frank  Bousum,  1906  (reelected 
in  1909  and  second  term  prolonged  one  year  by  constitutional  amend- 
ment making  all  county  officers  elected  in  191 3  for  terms  of  four 
years). 

Treasurers — J.  Cummings,  1831 ;  William  H.  Patterson,  1836;  Amos 
Gustine,  1837;  Robert  Barnard,  1838:  James  Kirk,  1844:  Samuel  Pene- 
baker,  1842;  James  Kirk,   1844;  Benjamin  Bonsell,   1846;  Joseph  M. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA   VALLEY  151 

Belford,  1848;  Benjamin  F.  Kepner,  1850;  George  Jacobs,  1852;  John 
Yeakley,  1854;  Benjamin  F.  Kepner,  1856;  D.  W.  A.  Belford,  1858; 
George  W.  Stroup,  i860;  Jacob  Suloff,  1862;  John  B.  M.  Todd,  1864; 
Robert  E.  Parker,  1866;  Jacob  A.  Christy,  1868;  David  Watts,  1870; 
WilHam  C.  Laird,  1872;  Samuel  H.  Showers,  1874;  Robert  E.  Parker, 
1S76;  John  \V.  Kirk,  1879;  Jacob  Lemon,  1881;  John  M.  Copeland, 
1884;  Henry  S.  SchoU,  1890;  W.  S.  North,  1893;  W.  W.  Landis,  1896; 
John  F.  Ehrenzeller,  1899;  E.  Milton  Guss,  1902;  Ferdinand  Meyers, 
1905;  Harry  C.  Lawson,  1908;  Samuel  R.  Bashore,  191 1. 

County  Commissioners — 1831,  Joel  Baily,  P.  Benner,  C.  Frisbie; 
1832-33,  George  Gilliford,  William  Wharton,  Louis  Evans;  1834,  John 
Funk,  Louis  Evans,  David  Glenn;  1836,  Michael  Bushey,  Paul  Cox; 
1837,  Emanuel  Wise;  1838,  Daniel  Collins;  1839,  John  North;  1840, 
John  P.  Shitz;  1841,  John  Kenawell;  1842,  John  Crozier;  1843,  John 
F.  Saeger;  1844,  James  Lauthers;  1845,  John  Dimm;  1846,  David 
Beale;  1847,  Ezra  McLin;  1848,  Robert  Inners;  1849,  Samuel  Rannels; 
1850,  David  Alexander;  1851,  John  Anderson;  1852,  Thomas  J.  Alil- 
liken;  1853,  William  Adams;  1854,  Joseph  Seiber;  1855,  Daniel  Flick- 
inger;  1856,  James  Anderson;  1857,  Barnett  Rapp;  1858,  Joseph  Ker- 
liss;  1859,  Henry  McConnell;  i860,  John  Landis;  1861,  William 
Kohler;  1862,  James  S.  Cox;  1863,  John  Foltz;  1864,  John  Kenawell; 
1865,  Matthew  Clark,  William  Logue;  1866,  David  Diven;  1867,  David 
Suloff,  Sr.;  1868,  Walter  App;  1869,  E.  R.  Gilliford;  1870,  William 
Ulsh;  1871,  William  Von  Swearinger;  1872,  David  B.  Diven;  1873, 
Alexander  A.  Crozier;  1875,  Thomas  Watts;  1876,  James  McLaugh- 
lin, David  B.  Cox,  William  H.  Groninger;  1879,  J.  Banks  Wilson,  Hugh 
L.  McMeen,  John  B.  Mc Williams;  1881,  J.  Banks  Wilson,  Hugh  L. 
McMeen,  David  Partner;  1884,  O.  P.  Barton,  John  T.  Dimm,  W.  N. 
Sterrett;  1887,  John  H.  Cunningham,  Francis  Hower,  Absalom  Rice; 
1890,  John  Balentine,  David  Beale,  Uriah  Shuman ;  1893,  W.  H. 
Moore,  Neal  M.  Stewart,  John  Neimond;  1896,  David  D.  Rhinesmith, 
William  Puffenberger,  Jeremiah  Loudenslager ;  1899,  J.  W.  Hostetler, 
H.  Cloyd  Horning,  Robert  Long;  1902,  David  B.  Stoufifer,  Samuel  A. 
Graham,  George  F.  Goodman;  1905,  James  Adams,  W.  K.  McLaugh- 
lin, Samuel  A.  Graham;  1908,  William  B.  Zimmerman,  W.  H.  Bru- 
baker,  David  B.  Stoufifer;  191 1,  John  N.  Carney,  B.  P.  Clark,  Albert 
Groninger. 


152  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

State  Senators — Ezra  Doty,  1808;  William  Beale,  1812  (both  from 
Mifflin  county,  of  which  Juniata  was  then  a  part)  ;  James  Mathews, 
1840;  J.  J.  Cunningham,  1850;  James  I\L  Sellers,  1855;  E.  D.  Craw- 
ford, i860;  John  K.  Robinson,  1868;  D.  ]\L  Crawford,  1871  (elected 
again  in  1877);  Joseph  'SL  Woods,  1888;  Walter  H.  Parcels,  1896; 
James  W.  McKee,  1900 ;  William  H.  ^lanbeck,  1904;  Franklin  Martin, 
1912. 

Representatives — John  Cummins,  1831  (elected  from  Alifflin  county, 
and  secured  the  passage  of  the  bill  under  \\hich  Juniata  county  was 
organized):  William  Sharon,  1832;  (after  William  Sharon  Professor 
Guss  gives  the  names  of  Thomas  Stinson,  William  Curran,  John  Adams, 
James  Mathews,  James  Hughes,  John  Funk.  John  H.  iNIcCrum,  William 
Cox,  Andrew  Patterson  and  John  McMinn,  but  does  not  name  the 
years  in  which  each  served.  In  1850  the  counties  of  Union  and  Juniata 
were  made  a  representative  district).  John  ]\IcLaughlin.  1850:  William 
Sharon.  1852:  John  Beale.  1853;  John  W.  Simonton,  1854;  James  W. 
Crawford,  1855;  George  \\'.  Strouse,  1856:  Thomas  Bower,  1857; 
John  J.  Patterson,  1859;  George  \\'.  Strouse.  1863;  John  Balsbach, 
1864;  A.  H.  ]\lartin.  1869:  Abraham  Rohrer.  1870;  Jerome  Hetrick, 
1874:  T.  D.  Garmon.  1877:  William  Pomeroy,  1878;  Lucien  Banks, 
1879;  John  D.  Alilligan.  1881  ;  James  Xorth,  1884;  Louis  E.  Atkinson, 
1886:  William  Hertzler,  1888:  J.  C.  Crawford,  1890;  Hugh  L.  Wilson, 
1892;  Jeremiah  X.  Keller.  1896;  A.  J.  Fisher.  1898:  Thomas  K. 
Beaver,  1900;  George  B.  ^l.  Wisehaupt,  1902;  William  C.  Pomeroy, 
1906;  Jerome  T.  Ailman,  1908;  I.  D.  Musser,  1912. 

Surveyors  (since  1886) — Wilber  F.  3iIcCahan,  1886;  William  H. 
Groninger,  1889;  \^■ilber  F.  ]\IcCahan.  1892;  A.  B.  Evans.  1895;  J.  O. 
Brown,  1898;  C.  \\'.  flayer.  1904;  W.  F.  ^IcCahan.  1907  (reelected 
in  1911). 

Coroners  (since  1886) — James  J.  Patterson,  1886;  Philip  A.  Smith, 
1889;  L.  P.  Walley,  1892;  j.  O.  Brown,  1895-;  Jacob  A.  Davis,  1898; 
W.  H.  Rodgers,  1901 ;  B.  F.  Long,  1904;  D.  L.  Snyder,  1907  (re- 
elected in  191 1 ). 


CHAPTER  IX 

JUNIATA   COUNTY,   TOWNSHIPS,   BOROUGHS,   ETC. 

Early  Township  Organizations — Their  Subdivison — The  Present  Thirteen  Townships — 
Beale — Delaware — Fayette — Fermanagh — Greenwood — Lack — Milford  —  Monroe  — 
Spruce  Hill — Susquehanna — Turbett — Tuscarora — Walker — Earh'  Settlement  of 
Each — Squatters — Principal  Villages — Schools — The  Four  Boroughs — IMifflintown — ■ 
^Mifflin — Port  Royal — Thompsontown — Pioneer  Business  Enterprises — Postotfices 
and  Population — Rural  Routes  in  the  County. 

THE  organization  of  townships  in  wliat  is  now  Juniata  county 
began  on  October  23,  1754,  when  the  magistrates  "in  con- 
junction with  the  commissioners  and  assessors  of  Cumberland 
county"  met  at  Carlisle  and  concluded  that,  "Whereas,  there  has  been 
an  addition  to  the  county  aforesaid  by  a  late  purchase  from  the  Indians : 
to  erect  the  habitable  parts  added  to  the  said  county  into  separate  town- 
ships, and  to  appoint  constables  in  the  same  for  the  better  regulation 
thereof." 

Four  townships  were  at  that  time  formed,  viz. :  Aire,  Fannet,  Lack, 
and  Tyrone.  No  boundary  lines  were  mentioned  or  described,  it  being 
merely  stated  that  certain  settlements  should  constitute  the  townships 
named.  Lack  township  included  all  that  part  of  Juniata  county  lying 
south  and  west  of  the  Juniata  river  and  part  of  the  present  county 
of  Huntingdon.  Since  the  establishment  of  these  four  original  town- 
ships in  the  new  purchase  each  has  been  divided  and  subdivided  until, 
in  1913,  Jimiata  cotmty  was  composed  of  thirteen  townships,  viz.: 
Beale.  Delaware,  Fayette.  Fermanagh,  Greenwood,  Lack,  Milford,  I\Ion- 
roe,  Spruce  Hill,  Susquehanna,  Turbett,  Tuscarora  and  W'alker. 

Beale  township  was  taken  from  Milford  in  1843.  Nine  petitions, 
signed  by  218  citizens,  were  presented  to  the  Mifflin  county  court 
(Juniata  county  was  at  that  time  a  part  of  Mifllin),  asking  for  the 
appointment  of  viewers  to  lay  of¥  a  new  township  from  parts  of  Mil- 
ford and  Turbett,  but  no  action  was  taken  by  the  court  on  the  peti- 

153 


154  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

tion.  The  question  again  came  before  the  court  late  in  the  year 
1842,  when  William  Dunn,  Thomas  Stinson,  and  William  Sharron  were 
appointed  viewers.  They  reported  in  favor  of  the  petitioners,  and 
recommended  the  formation  of  a  new  township,  the  territory  of  which 
was  to  be  taken  from  Alilford  township,  the  dividing  line  to  be  "a 
public  road,  first  laid  out  in  1768,  from  Tuscarora  creek  to  a  point 
near  Shade  mountain,  and  from  the  top  of  that  mountain  to  the  Tus- 
carora township  line."  On  February  8,  1843,  the  court  approved  the 
report  of  the  viewers,  and  ordered  the  erection  of  the  township  as  rec- 
ommended. By  the  act  of  March  15,  1853,  the  area  of  the  township 
was  slightly  increased  by  the  annexation  of  John  Woodward's  farm, 
which  had  previously  been  in  Milford  township.  Beale  township  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Blue  Ridge,  which  separates  it  from  Gran- 
ville township.  Alifllin  county;  on  the  east  by  Milford;  on  the  south 
by  Spruce  Hill,  and  on  the  west  by  Tuscarora.  It  was  named  for  one 
of  the  oldest  families  in  Juniata  county,  particularly  for  John  Beale, 
who  was  one  of  the  mfluential  citizens  of  the  township  at  the  time  of  its 
formation. 

Squatters  came  into  the  territory  now  comprising  Beale  township 
before  the  lands  in  the  Juniata  valley  had  been  purchased  from  the 
Indians.  An  old  agreement,  or  deed,  dated  June  i,  1854,  recites  that 
Robert  Taylor,  "for  and  in  consideration  of  eighteen  pounds,"  trans- 
ferred all  his  "Right  property  and  interest  of  an  improvement  of  land 
situate  on  ye  Tuscarora  Creek  to  ye  said  James  Waddle."  Then  fol- 
lows a  description  of  the  boundary  lines  of  the  land,  and  Robert  Taylor 
binds  himself  "in  ye  Pennal  Sum  of  Thirty  &  Six  Pounds  Current 
money  of  Pennsylvania,  allways  Excepting  ye  Indians  &  Proprietor 
of  this  Province,"  etc. 

The  instrument  is  witnessed  by  Samuel  and  Charles  Kenny  and 
William  Beale,  who  must  have  been  squatters  in  the  vicinity.  James 
Kennedy  and  Robert  Pollock  had  also  established  homes  in  the  imme- 
diate neighborhood  of  Academia,  where  the  above  transaction  took 
place.  The  property  received  by  Waddle  (correct  spelling  Waddell ) 
from  Robert  Taylor  was  conveyed  to  William  Beale  on  October  14, 
1760. 

One  of  the  first  land  warrants  was  issued  to  Alexander  Maginty 
on  February  3,  1755,  for  312  acres.     Others  who  entered  land  in  that 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA   VALLEY  155 

year  were:  James  Williams,  eighty-nine  acres  on  the  river;  Thomas 
Freeman,  163  acres;  James  McMahan,  100  acres;  Samuel  Brice,  202 
acres;  John  Woods,  who  located  in  the  upper  part  of  the  township; 
John  Irwin,  200  acres  on  Tuscarora  creek.  Irwin  obtained  a  warrant, 
but  before  he  got  the  land  surveyed  it  was  included  in  the  claims  of 
others.  Ten  years  later  he  entered  350  acres  in  the  best  part  of  the 
Tuscarora  valley.  In  1762  warrants  were  issued  to  Ralph  Sterrett, 
John  McMahan,  Samuel  Finley,  and  some  others  for  lands  in  what 
is  now  Beale  township.  David  Bowel  (or  Bole),  who  was  appointed 
one  of  the  trustees  to  organize  Mifflin  county  in  1789,  took  out  a  war- 
rant in  1767  for  sixty-seven  acres,  which  he  later  sold  to  one  of  the 
Beale  family.  James  Scott,  Abraham  Dewitt,  Joseph  Scott,  and  others 
came  in  1767,  and  in  that  year  Abraham  Sanford  appears  on  the  assess- 
ment rolls  as  a  renter  of  a  grist-mill  on  the  west  side  of  the  Juniata, 
the  first  mill  on  that  side  of  the  river.  Other  early  settlers  were  Clement 
Horrell,  David  McNair,  Samuel  Fear,  Robert  Walker,  the  Pomeroys, 
the  Beales,  Robert  Campbell,  Thomas  Harris,  William  Reed,  and  sev- 
eral others,  all  of  whom  had  located  in  the  township  before  the  Revo- 
lutionary war. 

Beale  township  is  bounded  on  the  north  and  east  by  Milford,  on 
the  south  by  Spruce  Hill,  and  on  the  west  by  Tuscarora.  The  principal 
villages  are  Academia  and  Walnut  (or  Johnstown).  The  former  is 
located  in  the  southern  part,  on  the  tract  of  land  transferred  by  Robert 
Taylor  to  James  Waddell  in  1754,  and  the  latter  is  in  the  northeastern 
corner.  Academia  takes  its  name  from  the  Tuscarora  Academy,  which 
was  the  outgrowth  of  a  classical  school  opened  by  Rev.  John  Coulter 
in  1800.  It  is  the  principal  postoffice  and  trading  point  for  the  neigh- 
borhood in  which  it  is  situated,  and  in  1910  had  a  population  of  186. 
Walnut  was  laid  off  by  John  Beale,  and  took  the  first  name  of  the 
founder,  but  when  the  postoffice  was  established  there  it  was  named 
Walnut,  to  avoid  confusion  with  the  postoffice  at  Johnstown,  Cambria 
county.  The  population  was  150  in  1910.  About  half-way  between 
these  two  villages  was  once  a  settlement  called  Allendale,  but  it  does 
not  appear  on  the  modern  maps. 

Delaware  township  was  erected  in  1836.  Early  in  the  year  1835  ^ 
petition  asking  for  a  division  of  Walker  and  Greenwood  townships 
was  presented  to  the  court.     John  Patterson,  S.  Turbett,  and  A.  Gus- 


156  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

tine  were  appointed  viewers  and  made  a  report  on  September  2,  1835, 
recommending  the  division  and  the  formation  of  a  new  township  to  be 
called  "Delaware,"  but  at  the  December  term  the  report  was  referred 
back  to  them  for  certain  corrections.  An  amended  report  was  filed  in 
January,  in  which  the  viewers  said :  "On  reconsideration  began  at 
a  post  corner  southeast  corner  of  Fayette  township ;  then  south  five 
degrees,  east  three  miles  and  132  perches  to  a  chestnut  oak  on  the  sum- 
mit of  Turkey  Ridge,  standing  in  the  line  of  Perry  county;  thence  along 
the  different  courses  of  the  same  as  aforesaid,  as  represented  by  the 
red  line  through  the  above  draught,  and  humbly  submit  the  same  to 
the  court." 

No  action  was  taken  at  that  session,  but  on  February  3,  1S36,  the 
report  was  read  in  open  court  and  confirmed.  As  thus  established 
Delaware  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Fayette  township ;  on  the  east 
by  the  townships  of  Monroe  and  Greenwood ;  on  the  south  by  Perry 
county,  and  on  the  west  by  Walker  iownship.  Cocolamus  creek  flows 
across  the  northeast  corner,  and  Delaware  run  empties  into  the  Juniata 
near  Thompsontown,  which  is  the  only  borough  in  the  township. 

In  the  early  settlement  of  Juniata  county  many  tracts  of  land  in 
what  is  now  Delaware  township  were  taken  up  by  speculators,  who  had 
no  intention  of  becoming  residents.  Among  those  who  settled  in  the 
township  were  Thomas  Evans.  James  Gallagher,  Edmund  Huff,  James 
jMcLin.  Edward  Edwards,  Duncan  AIcDougal,  and  William  Stewart. 
The  last  named  was  a  nati^•e  of  Ireland,  who  settled  in  Perry  county 
in  1753,  but  was  driven  out  by  the  Indians.  In  1761  he  located  on  the 
Juniata  about  a  mile  above  Thompsontown.  When  the  settlers  in  that 
section  were  driven  off  by  the  Indians  he  went  to  Carlisle,  where  he 
married,  and  in  the  fall  of  176C  returned  to  the  settlement  just  above 
the  mouth  of  the  Delaware  run.  In  1774  his  name  appears  on  the  list 
of  contributors  to  the  sufferers  of  Boston  on  account  of  the  Stamp  Act, 
his  contribution  being  sixteen  shillings.  He  was  also  one  of  those 
who  associated  themselves  together  for  the  protection  of  the  frontier 
in  1780.  Other  pioneers  who  came  before  the  Revolution  were  Edward 
Nicholas,  Hugh  Micheltree,  John  Thompson,  Gabriel  and  Samuel  Fry, 
Joseph  Cookson,  John  Kepler,  and  Thomas  Jordan.  Edward  Nicholas 
was  killed  by  the  Indians  in  1756. 

About  1776  John  Hamilton  built  a  grist-mill  and  saw-mill  on  the 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  157 

Cocolamus  creek,  near  the  northeast  corner  of  the  township.  Twenty 
years  later  this  mill  became  the  property  of  Jacob  Sellers  and  later  of 
Joseph  Sellers.  One  of  the  first  schools  in  the  Cocolamus  valley  was 
at  this  mill.  In  December,  18 18.  a  contract  was  made  by  certain  citi- 
zens, as  subscribers,  with  John  Keller  "to  teach  a  school  in  the  school 
house  on  the  premises  of  Joseph  Sellers,  for  a  term  of  three  months, 
beginning  on  Monday,  the  2Sth  of  December,  which  school  shall  be 
taught  in  spelling,  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic,  in  English." 
The  subscribers  agreed  to  furnish  twenty  scholars,  at  $1.50  each,  and 
"a  sufficient  supply  of  firewood  at  the  door." 

The  village  of  East  Salem,  near  the  northwest  corner,  was  founded 
by  Samuel  j\I.  Kurtz  in  the  spring  of  1844.  In  1848  John  Caveny 
opened  a  store  there,  and  two  years  later  a  two-story  house  was  built 
by  John  Kurtz,  in  which  Curtis  Winey  kept  a  store.  A  little  later  a 
postoffice  was  established,  and  for  several  years  i\Ir.  Winey  served  as 
postmaster.  Methodist  and  United  Brethren  churches  were  established 
there,  a  school  house  was  built,  and  East  Salem  gave  evidence  that  "it 
had  come  to  stay."     The  population  in  1910  was  140. 

Fayette  township  was  the  first  one  to  be  erected  after  Juniata  be- 
came a  separate  county.  At  the  December  term  of  court  in  1833  a 
petition  was  presented,  asking  for  a  new  township,  to  be  formed  from 
parts  of  Greenwood  and  Fermanagh.  Alexander  Patterson,  George 
Gilliford,  and  James  Hughes  were  appointed  to  consider  the  merits  of 
the  petition  and.  if  they  found  it  advisable  to  establish  a  new  township, 
to  report  the  boundaries  thereof.  Their  report  was  made  in  March, 
1834,  but  was  not  acted  upon  by  the  court  until  the  4th  of  the  follow- 
ing December,  when  it  was  confirmed,  and  the  new  township  was 
named  Fayette.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  counties  of  Mifflin 
and  Snyder,  on  the  east  by  Monroe  township,  on  the  south  by  Delaware 
and  Walker,  and  on  the  west  by  Fermanagh. 

As  early  as  1749  white  men  came  up  the  Juniata  to  the  mouth  of 
Doe  run  and  followed  that  stream  to  its  source  at  the  Cedar  Springs. 
After  exploring  the  surrounding  country  they  returned  to  Harris'  ferry. 
When  a  second  party,  influenced  by  the  report  of  the  first,  attempted 
to  visit  the  region  they  made  the  mistake  of  following  Delaware  run. 
and  consequently  failed  to  find  the  beautiful  valley  described  by  their 
predecessors.     This  is  said  to  be  the  origin  of  the  name  "Lost  creek." 


158  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

No  permanent  settlers  came  in  until  after  the  lands  had  been  purchased 
from  the  Indians  in  1754.  On  February  3,  1755,  ^\'illiam  Armstrong, 
John  Irwin,  David  Hope,  and  William  Giltnockey  took  out  warrants 
for  four  tracts  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  ]\IcAlisterville.  David  Hoge 
soon  after  sold  his  land  to  Samuel  ]\Iitchell,  who  built  a  cabin  upon  it, 
but  in  1756  all  the  settlers  in  that  part  of  the  valley  were  forced  to 
abandon  their  homes  on  account  of  Indian  hostilities.  Hugh  AIcAlister 
bought  the  tract  entered  by  John  Irwin,  and  settled  there  in  1756. 
During  the  Indian  war  he  served  in  the  company  of  Captain  Forbes, 
and  in  1776  he  was  a  member  of  Captain  Hamilton's  company,  which 
joined  Washington's  army  the  day  after  the  battle  of  Trenton.  He  rose 
to  the  rank  of  major  and,  after  the  war,  was  in  command  of  the  forces 
at  Potter's  fort,  in  what  is  now  Centre  county,  and  led  an  expedition 
against  the  Indians.  His  son  William  served  in  the  War  of  1812,  and 
at  its  close  built  a  fulling  mill  where  the  little  village  of  Cocolamus 
now  stands. 

Other  pioneers  in  Fayette  township  were  John  Ouigley,  James 
Jamison,  Michael  Stuhl,  Joseph  Bogle,  Samuel  Sharon,  William  Martin, 
Epenetus  Hart,  Hugh  Watt,  Jonathan  Kearsley.  Reuben  Leonard,  Rich- 
ard Dunn,  John  Pauly,  the  Shellenberger  family,  and  others.  Joseph 
Woods,  a  Revolutionary  veteran,  came  into  the  township  soon  after  the 
close  of  the  war  and  settled  near  the  mountain,  where  he  remained  for 
many  years,  when  the  land  was  claimed  by  some  Philadelphia  specu- 
lators, and  he  was  forced  to  vacate. 

Most  of  the  early  settlers  were  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction,  and  were 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  The  Cedar  Spring  church  was 
organized  in  1763,  and  a  branch  of  the  congregation  was  established 
at  Lost  Creek.  It  became  an  independent  congregatiijn  in  1797,  and  a 
log  house  of  worship  was  built  by  Hugh  Watt.  A  school  house  was 
built  on  the  church  lot  in  1799,  though  a  school  house  had  previously 
been  built  on  the  road  between  Oakland  Mills  and  McAlisterville.  Wil- 
liam Pelaw  was  one  of  the  first  teachers.  Other  pioneer  teachers  were 
George  Keller,  Andrew  Banks,  and  Stephen  George. 

The  villages  of  Fayette  township  are  Mcx-\listerville,  Oakland  Mills, 
and  Cocolamus.  McAlisterville  was  laid  out  by  Hugh  ]\IcAlister  in 
December,  1810.  The  original  plat  contained  seven  lots  of  one  acre 
each.     Two  of  these  lots  were  sold  to  John  Lauver  for  sixty  dollars. 


& 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  159 

and  Lauver  put  up  a  blacksmith  shop.  In  181 1  the  proprietor  of  the 
town  erected  a  stone  house,  in  which  Knox  &  Gallagher  opened  a  store. 
Four  years  later  they  sold  out  to  Hugh  McAlister,  who  removed  the 
goods  to  a  new  building  and  continued  in  the  business  until  his  death 
in  1844.  The  brick  hotel  was  built  by  Mr.  McAlister  in  1816.  An 
addition  to  the  town  was  laid  out  by  Peter  Springer  in  181 3,  and  a 
postoffice  was  established  in  181 5,  with  Hugh  McAlister  as  postmaster. 
In  1821  the  name  of  the  postoffice  was  changed  to  Calhounville,  and 
remained  so  for  about  four  years,  with  Michael  Lauver  as  postmaster, 
but  in  1825  the  name  was  changed  back  to  McAlisterville,  Hugh  Mc- 
Alister was  reappointed  postmaster,  and  held  the  office  until  his  death. 
According  to  Rand  &  JilcNally's  atlas  the  population  in  1910  was  578. 
The  village  has  a  national  bank,  a  hotel,  good  public  school  building, 
several  neat  church  edifices,  a  number  of  stores,  and  is  the  chief  trading 
center  for  a  rich  agricultural  district. 

Oakland  Mills  received  its  name  in  1830,  when  Dr.  Thomas  White- 
side built  the  mill  at  that  point  and  gave  it  that  name.  Before  the  close 
of  that  year  David  McClure  established  a  store  near  the  mill,  and  at 
the  same  time  was  appointed  postmaster.  A  settlement  gradually  grew 
up  about  the  mill  and  store,  a  public  school  was  established,  other 
business  enterprises  came  in,  and  in  1910  Oakland  Mills  had  a  popula- 
tion of  121. 

Cocolamus,  located  at  the  forks  of  the  creek  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  township,  is  located  on  the  tract  of  land  entered  by  John  Gallagher 
in  1762.  Gallagher  sold  to  William  McAlister,  whose  intention  was 
to  lay  out  a  town,  but  for  some  reason  it  was  not  done.  A  fulling 
mill  was  built  in  1814.  a  store  was  opened  in  1862.  a  postoffice  was 
established  in  1865.  Avith  Abraham  Haldeman  as  postmaster,  a  tannery 
was  started,  and  Cocolamus  became  cjuite  a  pretentious  little  place. 
In  1884  the  United  Brethren  put  up  a  frame  church  near  the  village. 
The  population  in  1910  was  220. 

Fermanagh  township  was  erected  by  the  Cumberland  county  authori- 
ties either  late  in  the  year  1754  or  early  in  1755.  The  earliest  mention 
of  it  is  in  a  deed  given  by  James  Patterson  to  William  Armstrong,  on 
April  20,  1755,  for  "one  hundred  and  fifty-five  acres  of  land  situated 
in  Fermanagh  township,  near  the  Juniata  river."  ^^'hen  it  was  at 
first  created  it  included  all  that  part  of  the  new  purchase  lying  north 


i6o  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

of  the  Juniata  river  and  that  part  of  Mifflin  county  south  of  the  river 
extending  to  the  Black  Log  mountain.  It  has  been  repeatedly  reduced 
in  size  by  the  formation  of  other  townships,  until  now  only  a  small 
part  of  the  original  territory  comprising  it  bears  the  name  of  Fer- 
managh. It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  ?»Iifflin  count}',  on  the  east 
by  Fayette  township,  on  the  south  by  \\^alker,  and  on  the  west  by  Mil- 
ford,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Juniata  river. 

Among  the  first  settlers  were  Alexander  Lafiferty,  James  Purdy, 
Thomas  McCormick,  James  Sharon,  Joseph  Wiley.  John  Watson,  James 
Banks,  the  Darrs — Adam,  George,  John,  Peter,  and  Philip — William 
Riddle,  Christian  Lintner,  Jacob  Kauffman,  Azariah  and  John  Reed, 
Robert  Nelson,  and  W'illiam  Henderson.  Alexander  Laf^erty  took  up 
the  tract  of  land  where  the  borough  of  INIifflintown  is  now  located. 
James  Purdy  settled  at  Jericho,  and  in  1770  put  up  a  grist-mill,  the 
first  in  that  locality.  Two  of  his  sons,  Hugh  and  William,  were  killed 
at  the  time  of  General  St.  Clair's  defeat,  November  4.  1791.  James 
Sharon's  land  descended  to  his  sons,  William  and  Hugh,  and  at  Wil- 
liam Sharon's  house  was  held  the  meeting,  in  1776,  to  organize  Captain 
John  Hamilton's  company  of  cavalry,  in  which  Hugh  McAlister  was 
the  first  man  to  enlist.  It  was  also  at  William  Sharon's  that  the  set- 
tlers met  in  1780  to  take  steps  for  the  protection  of  the  frontier.  An- 
drew Douglas,  who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  on  Lost  Creek,  was 
wounded  while  on  the  expedition  to  Kittanning  with  Colonel  John  Arm- 
strong in  1756.  During  the  Revolution  the  house  of  Robert  Nelson 
was  a  rendezvous  for  the  friends  of  the  American  cause.  From  his 
private  resources  he  raised  funds  to  pay  soldiers,  which  devotion  to 
the  cause  finally  placed  him  in  such  financial  straits  that  he  sold  his  farm 
near  Cedar  Springs  and  removed  to  Ohio.  He  married  Martha,  daugh- 
ter of  James  Purdy,  and  after  their  removal  to  Ohio  their  daughter 
Caroline  became  the  wife  of  John  Brough,  who  was  at  one  time  gov- 
ernor of  that  state. 

Fermanagh  has  always  been  an  agricultural  community.  The  bor- 
ough of  Mifflintown  is  the  only  town  or  village  of  consequence  within 
its  borders.  One  of  the  earliest  school  houses  in  the  township  was 
built  about  1800.  The  "Union"  school  house  was  built  about  1810  by 
the  subscription  of  the  people  living  in  the  neighborhood.  Some  of  the 
early  teachers  were  James  Cummings,  William   McCoy,  John  Purdy, 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY  i6i 

and  James  Mathers.  The  Pine  Grove  school  house  was  buih  about 
1815.  After  the  introduction  of  tlie  pubhc  school  system  the  directors 
divided  the  township  into  six  districts,  and  the  public  schools  of  the 
present  compare  favorably  with  those  in  other  portions  of  the  state. 

Greenwood  township,  when  erected  by  the  Cumberland  county  court 
in  1767,  embraced  all  that  part  of  Perry  county  east  of  the  Juniata 
river  and  south  of  the  mouth  of  the  Cocolamus  creek  and  the  southern 
]3arts  of  the  present  townships  of  Greenwood  and  Susquehanna,  in 
Juniata  county.  Li  the  latter  county  the  boundary  was  marked  b}-  Alc- 
Kee's  path  and  the  little  Cocolamus  creek.  At  the  June  term  of  the  [Mif- 
flin county  court  in  1791  a  petition  was  presented,  asking  that  a  line  be 
struck  "from  the  mouth  of  Delaware  run,  at  Juniata,  by  the  planta- 
tions of  William  Thompson,  Joseph  Cookson.  William  Stewart,  and 
Plugh  McElroy,  leaving  William  Thompson  and  Hugh  McElroy  to  the 
westward,  and  Joseph  Cookson  and  William  Stewart  to  the  eastward, 
and  thence  northwest  to  the  Shade  Mountain,  and  that  the  part  of 
Fermanagh  eastward  of  the  line  thus  described  may  be  struck  ofi 
therefrom  and  annexed  to  Greenwood  township." 

The  court  appointed  Samuel  Osborne  and  Samuel  Curren  to  have 
the  divisional  line  run  in  accordance  with  the  prayer  of  the  petitioners, 
and  report  to  the  next  court.  Li  September  following,  on  the  petition 
of  Hugh  jNIcAlister  and  others,  the  line  was  clianged  so  as  to  allow 
the  house  of  William  Stewart  to  remain  in  Fermanagh  township,  but 
the  remainder  of  the  territory  was  added  to  Greenwood.  Part  of 
Fayette  township  was  taken  from  Greenwood  in  1834;  another  portion 
was  taken  to  form  Delaware  in  1836,  and  in  1858  Monroe  and  Susque- 
hanna were  cut  off,  leaving  Greenwood  in  its  present  form.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Monroe,  on  the  east  by  Susquehanna,  on  the 
south  by  Perry  county,  and  on  the  west  by  the  township  of  Delaware. 

About  1763  Edward  McConnell  warranted  a  tract  of  land  and  built 
a  cabin  where  the  Seven  Star  tavern  was  afterward  located.  His 
house  was  the  first  hewed  log  house  in  that  section  of  the  county.  Three 
weeks  after  he  took  possession  he  was  compelled  to  fly,  with  the  other 
settlers  in  that  section,  to  Carlisle  on  account  of  the  Indian  uprising. 
The  following  year  he  returned,  accompanied  by  his  brother  Henry, 
who  took  up  122  acres  adjoining.  This  was  the  beginning  of  what 
became  known  as  the  "Cocolamus  Settlement."     Other  early  settlers  in 


i62  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

Greenwood  were  Stephen  Alarshall,  Leonard  Pfoutz,  the  W'ihs,  the 
Dmims,  Joseph  Castle,  William  and  Church  Cox.  William  Cox  started 
the  first  tannery  in  that  section  of  the  county.  Joseph  Castle  was  an 
Irishman  by  birth,  and  came  to  the  Cocolamus  settlement  about  1778. 
In  1819  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  and  held  the  office  for 
many  years. 

The  first  school  house  in  the  township  was  built  about  1788,  on 
what  was  known  as  the  Stroup  farm,  but  little  can  be  learned  of  its 
early  history.  In  1810  another  house  was  built  near  the  Seven  Star 
tavern,  which  was  built  in  1818  by  Peter  Stroup.  Shortly  after  the 
public  school  system  was  accepted  in  1836  the  township  was  divided 
into  four  districts.  Greenwood  is  an  agricultural  township  without 
towns  or  villages  of  any  considerable  size.  Dimmsville  reported  a  popu- 
lation of  78  in  191  o.  It  is  located  on  the  Cocolamus  creek  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  township. 

Lack  township  was  one  of  those  created  by  the  Cumberland  county 
authorities  on  October  2^.  1754,  when  the  court  records  show  the  fol- 
lowing entry :  "And  we  do  further  erect  the  settlement  called  the 
Tuskerora  Valey  into  a  sepparate  Township  and  nominate  the  same  the 
Township  of  Lac,  and  we  appoint  John  Johnston  to  act  therein  as  con- 
stable for  the  remaining  part  of  the  current  year." 

Many  of  the  early  settlers  were  driven  out  by  the  Indians,  but  most 
of  the  fugitives  returned  after  the  cessation  of  hostilities.  The  assess- 
ment for  1763  showed  eighty  taxpayers,  only  a  few  of  whom  resided 
within  the  present  limits  of  the  township.  Those  known  to  have  lived 
there  at  that  time  were  John  Little,  George  iMcConnell,  John  Williams, 
and  David  Wallace,  who  owned  200  acres  at  a  place  called  "Wallace- 
town."  During  the  next  five  years  Hugh  Glenn  took  up  200  acres  at 
the  mouth  of  George's  creek,  John  Gemmill  located  where  Peru  !Mills 
is  now,  Jonathan  Kearsley  and  David  IMagaw  settled  on  George's  creek, 
James  Stone,  John  Harvey,  Andrew  Ferrier,  \\'illiam  Kirk,  George 
and  Thomas  Woods,  John  Wilson,  John  Glenn,  David  Glenn,  William 
Brice,  John  Brady,  and  a  few  others  took  up  lands  and  established 
homes. 

Lack  has  been  reduced  by  the  formation  of  other  townships,  but  it 
is  still  the  largest  in  the  county.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Mifflin 
county,    on    the    east   by   Tuscarora   township,    on   the    south    by    the 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY  163 

counties  of  Perry  and  Franklin,  and  on  the  west  by  Cumberland 
county.  Through  the  southern  part  the  Tuscarora  creek  flows  east- 
ward, and  closely  following  the  line  of  the  stream  is  the  Tuscarora 
Valley  railroad,  with  stations  in  the  township  at  Perulack,  Ross  Farm, 
Leonard's  Grove,  and  Waterloo.  The  first  three  are  small  places,  and 
the  population  of  Waterloo  in  1910  was  but  70.  A  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished there  in  1820,  with  William  C.  Kelly  as  postmaster.  A  wind- 
mill factory  was  started  there  many  years  ago.  and  for  a  time  did  a 
tiiriving  business.  William  Campbell  erected  a  building  for  an  academy, 
but  after  being  used  for  a  school  for  a  few  years  it  was  sold  to  the 
Presbyterian  church  for  a  parsonage. 

The  village  of  Peru  Mills,  near  the  center  of  the  township,  is  located 
on  the  tract  of  land  warranted  by  John  Gemmill  in  September,  1762. 
After  several  changes  in  ownership  it  became  the  property  of  John 
Ferrier,  who  erected  a  grist-mill  there  about  1790,  or  perhaps  a  few 
years  before.  Andrew  Ferrier,  the  father  of  John  and  a  partner  in 
the  mill,  while  attending  court  at  Lewistown  in  1792,  slept  in  a  bed  the 
covers  of  which  had  been  purchased  by  the  hotel  keeper  at  an  auction 
in  Philadelphia.  It  developed  that  the  bed  clothes  were  infected  with 
yellow  fever,  which  Ferrier  contracted,  and  he  and  several  others  about 
the  mills  died.  The  mill  subsequently  passed  to  John  Patterson,  who 
put  up  a  saw-mill  in  connection.  A  postoffice  was  established  there  in 
1850,  and  William  H.  Patterson  was  postmaster  for  about  eight  years, 
after  which  his  brother  John  held  the  position  for  about  thirty  years. 
James  Lyon  was  engaged  in  merchandising  at  Peru  ]\Iills  as  early  as 
1816.  A  large  tannery  was  started  there  in  1846.  and  did  a  good  busi- 
ness for  several  years,  closing  in  1872.  The  population  of  Peru  Mills 
in  1 910  was  40. 

Mil  ford  township,  lying  directly  across  the  Juniata  river  from  Fer- 
managh and  Walker,  was  erected  by  the  court  of  Cumberland  county 
in  1768.  At  the  October  term  a  petition  was  presented  which  set  forth 
that  "The  township  of  Lack  is  \^ery  Unconvenient  for  all  the  Town- 
ship Offices,  it  being  of  such  an  Extensive  Length,  viz. :  of  above 
Thirty  miles.  Which  makes  us  pray  your  \\'orships  to  order  a  De- 
vision  of  s'd  Township  from  Tuskerora  Mountain,  by  James  Gray's, 
to  William  Scot's,  at  the  foot  of  Shade  Mountain."  etc.  On  November 
7,  1868,  the  court  ordered  the  division  to  be  made  so  as  to  leave  James 


i64  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Gray  and  William  Scott  in  Lack  township,  the  lower  part  to  be  known 
as  Mil  ford  township.  The  name  adopted  for  the  new  township  comes 
from  the  mill  ford,  or  the  ford  at  the  mill.  The  township  is  irregular 
in  form,  the  northern  part  running  several  miles  farther  west  than  the 
main  body.  It  is  shaped  something  like  a  pipe,  the  narrow  strip  run- 
ning up  the  Licking  creek  valley  being  the  stem,  and  the  top  of  the 
bowl  the  southern  boundary  line.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  ]\Iif- 
flin  county,  on  the  east  by  the  Juniata  river,  on  the  south  by  Turbett 
and  Spruce  Hill,  and  on  the  west  by  Beale  township.  Beale  also  forms 
the  southern  boundary  of  the  '"pipe-stem,""  the  western  end  of  which 
is  bounded  by  Tuscarora  township. 

The  assessment  rolls  of  Lack  township  for  the  year  1763  showed 
the  following  landowners  in  what  is  now  Alilford :  James  Armstrong, 
David  Bell,  James  Calhoun,  Robert  Campbell,  William  Cunningham, 
Robert  Crunkleton.  John  Collins,  Robert  Huston,  William  Irwin,  John 
McClellan,  Robert  Robinson,  John  Wilson,  and  Thomas  Wilson.  Rob- 
ert Crunkelton  and  Robert  Robinson  were  listed  as  "squatters,"  they 
having  come  into  the  territory  before  it  was  purchased  from  the 
Indians.  John  McClellan  came  from  Franklin  county,  and  settled 
on  the  bank  of  the  Juniata  where  the  borough  of  ^Mifflin  now  stands. 
His  warrant,  dated  September  8,  1755.  called  for  515  acres.  Two  of 
his  sons,  John  and  Daniel,  were  soldiers  in  the  Continental  army  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  another  son,  Joseph,  kept  the  ferry  at  Mif- 
fiin  (then  Patterson)  for  several  years.  John  McClellan  held  a  com- 
mission as  lieutenant,  and  died  while  on  the  march  to  Quebec  with 
Benedict  Arnold  in  the  fall  of  1775. 

Those  who  signed  the  petition  for  a  division  of  Lack  township  in 
1768  were:  Thomas  Beale,  William  Irwin,  Robert  Campbell,  Clement 
Horrell.  Robert  Hogg,  James  Christy,  John  Beale,  William  Renison, 
Hugh  Quigley,  William  Bell,  William  Christy,  James  Armstrong,  David 
McNair,  Jr.,  Charles  Pollock,  and  Robert  Littell,  all  of  whom  were  then 
residents  of  Milford  township.  Others  who  settled  at  an  earl}-  date 
were  Dennis  Christy,  Thomas  Husbands,  the  Lyons  family,  Thomas 
]\Iaguire,  John  Blackburn,  and  John  Johnson,  who  became  widely  known 
as  "the  white  hunter."' 

In  1797  Valentine  Carboy  taught  a  school  in  an  old  house  that  was 
fitted  up  for  the  purpose.     This  was  probably  the  first  school  taught  in 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  165 

the  township.  Upon  the  adoption  of  the  pubHc  school  system  the  di- 
rectors divided  the  township  into  seven  districts. 

About  1 791  a  forge  was  built  on  Licking  creek,  the  pig  iron  being 
hauled  from  furnaces  in  Centre  county  or  floated  down  the  Juniata 
on  rafts  from  Cromwell's  furnace  near  Orbisonia.  In  the  fall  of  1797 
it  was  sold  by  the  sheriff  and  purchased  by  Thomas  Cromwell.  No 
mention  of  it  in  the  tax  lists  can  be  found  after  1800.  A  paper  mill  was 
built  on  Licking  creek,  about  seven  miles  from  Mifflintown,  in  1817  by 
Norton  cS;  Selheimer,  and  was  in  active  operation  until  about  1830.  The 
products  were  writing  paper,  print  paper,  and  brown  wrapping  paper. 
A  large  tan  factory  was  started  a  short  distance  down  the  creek  from  the 
paper  mill  in  1834  by  Singmaster  &  Company.  Power  was  furnished 
by  constructing  a  large  dam  in  Licking  creek,  the  oak  bark  was  taken 
from  the  adjacent  mountains,  and  over  five  hundred  cords  were  ground 
annually.  A  saw-mill  was  also  built  there,  but  in  time  the  supply  of 
bark  ran  out,  and  the  tan-factory  was  abandoned. 

Milford  township  has  two  boroughs — Port  Royal,  near  the  south- 
east corner,  and  Mifilin  (formerly  Patterson),  opposite  Mifflintown. 
The  Pennsylvania  railroad  runs  along  the  northern  border,  through 
Denholm,  ^Mifflin,  and  Port  Royal,  and  the  Tuscarora  Valley  railroad 
runs  from  Port  Royal  southwest  through  a  portion  of  the  township. 

Monroe  township,  originally  a  part  of  Fermanagh,  was  taken  from 
Greenwood  in  1858.  In  1857  a  petition  was  presented  to  the  court, 
asking  for  the  formation  of  two  new  townships  from  Greenwood, 
and  the  court  ordered  an  election,  at  which  the  voters  were  to  express 
their  views  on  the  subject.  The  election  was  held  on  January  15,  1858, 
and  resulted  in  216  votes  being  cast  in  favor  of  the  division  and  only 
21  against  it.  The  minority,  however,  filed  exceptions  on  the  grounds: 
1st,  That  there  was  no  law  authorizing  the  court  to  divide  a  township 
into  three  parts  upon  one  commission ;  2nd,  That  the  act  of  the  assem- 
bly did  not  authorize  a  vote  to  be  taken  on  the  cjuestion  of  dividing 
one  township  into  three ;  3d,  That  no  authority  existed  for  the  creation 
of  more  than  one  township  at  a  time.  The  court  overruled  the  excep- 
tions, and  ordered  the  division,  when  the  question  was  taken  to  the 
supreme  court,  which  affirmed  the  decision  of  the  lower  court.  Green- 
wood was  therefore  divided  into  the  townships  of  Monroe,  Susque- 
hanna and  Greenwood. 


i66  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

^Monroe  is  triangular  in  form,  the  northern  boundary  being  formed 
by  Snyder  county,  the  southern  by  Greenwood  and  Susquehanna  town- 
ships, and  the  western  by  Delaware  and  Fayette.  It  is  separated  from 
Snyder  county  for  the  greater  part  of  the  distance  by  the  ]\Iahantango 
creek. 

Thomas  IMcKee,  an  Indian  trader,  located  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Mahantango  some  time  before  the  lands  of  the  Juniata  valley  were 
purchased  from  the  natives.  The  early  settlers  that  came  after  the 
purchase  of  1754  ascended  the  Susquehanna  river  and  the  IMahantango 
creek.  John  Graybill,  who  settled  across  the  creek  from  where  Rich- 
field now  stands,  in  1772,  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  actual  settler 
within  the  limits  of  the  township.  He  was  soon  followed  by  the 
Shellenbergers,  Jacob  Auker,  Alichael  Lauver,  Thomas  Hewes,  Jacob 
Pyle,  Joseph  and  Jacob  Sellers,  Caspar  \\'istar,  Aquilla  Burchfield, 
Joseph  Page,  and  the  Swartz  family.  The  descendants  of  some  of 
these  pioneers  still  live  in  Juniata  county. 

Among  the  early  settlers  were  a  number  of  ]\Iennonites,  and  a  church 
of  that  faith  was  organized  before  the  close  of  the  century.  In  1800 
a  log  house  of  worship  was  built  a  short  distance  west  of  Richfield,  and 
it  was  used  both  as  a  church  and  a  school  house  until  about  181 5.  The 
first  school  in  the  township  was  taught  in  this  house,  but  the  name  of 
the  teacher  seems  to  have  been  forgotten.  In  1820  the  Watts  school 
house  was  built  on  the  farm  of  Samuel  ^^'atts,  and  five  years  later 
another  was  built  not  far  from  Evandale.  After  the  introduction  of  the 
public  school  system  in  1834  the  township  was  divided  into  seven  school 
districts.  Edward  Hayes,  Hannah  Caveny,  and  Emanuel  Albright  were 
the  earliest  teachers. 

The  village  of  Richfield  was  laid  out  by  Christian  Graybill  in  1818, 
and  the  first  house  was  erected  l)y  Christian  Zimmerman.  For  the 
first  fifteen  years  the  growth  of  the  place  was  slow,  Init  in  1833  John 
Wallis  opened  a  store,  and  a  postoffice  was  established,  with  'Mr.  Wallis 
as  postmaster.  Prior  to  that  time  a  store  had  been  kept  by  a  man 
named  Clarkson  at  Auker's  Mills,  about  a  mile  farther  down  the  ;\Ia- 
hantango.  A  tavern  was  opened  by  Joseph  Schnee,  opposite  Wallis' 
store.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1844.  According  to  Rand  &  Mc- 
Nally's  atlas  the  population  of  Richfield  was  500  in  1910.  It  is  the 
principal  trading  point  for  a  rich  agricultural  district  in  that  section 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  167 

of  the  county.  It  has  a  bank,  some  good  stores,  a  pubHc  school  build- 
ing, neat  churches,  and  cozy  homes. 

Evandale,  near  the  western  line  of  the  township,  grew  up  about 
the  store,  which  was  opened  by  Isaac  Haldeman  in  1855.  Before  that 
time  there  had  been  a  postoffice  at  Sellers'  IMill,  but  it  was  removed  to 
Haldeman's  store,  and  Job  Haldeman  was  appointed  postmaster.  A 
school  house  had  been  built  there  many  years  before.  It  is  a  typical 
country  village,  and  in  1910  reported  a  population  of  125. 

Spruce  Hill,  the  last  township  in  the  county  to  be  erected,  was 
formed  by  the  division  of  Turbett  on  September  10,  1858.  When  the 
petition  came  before  the  court,  asking  for  the  establishment  of  a  new 
township,  Joseph  INIiddaugh,  Isaac  Kurtz,  and  David  Bashore  were 
appointed  viewers.  Their  report  recommended  the  new  township,  and 
it  was  confirmed  by  the  court  on  the  date  above  named.  The  territory 
comprising  it  was  a  part  of  Lack  until  1768;  then  a  part  of  Milford 
until  181 5,  and  from  that  time  until  its  erection  in  1858  it  was  included 
in  Turbett  township. 

In  the  early  settlement  of  the  country  some  of  those  who  located  in 
what  is  now  Spruce  Hill  township  were:  Hugh  Ouigley,  Samuel 
Christy,  John  Sherrard.  James  Kenny,  William  Graham,  William  J\Ic- 
IMullen,  Arthur  Eccles.  and  William  Stewart.  The  last  named  took  out 
a  warrant  on  February  3.  1755,  for  a  tract  of  land  along  the  Juniata 
river,  but  was  killed  by  the  Indians  before  the  land  was  surveyed.  His 
widow  married  John  Williams,  a  noted  hunter  who  was  wounded  at 
the  battle  of  Brandywine,  in  the  Revolution,  and  the  tract  taken  up 
by  Stewart  was  warranted  to  Williams  in  1788.  Northeast  of  the  pres- 
ent village  of  Spruce  Hill  William  Anderson  became  possessed  of  squat- 
ter rights  on  a  tract  of  land  including  a  spring,  near  which  he  built 
his  cabin.     He  was  appointed  assessor  of  Lack  township  in  October, 

1762,  and  took  the  first  assessment  the  succeeding  spring.     On  July  10, 

1763,  he  and  his  son  Joseph,  and  a  girl  who  lived  with  the  family,  were 
killed  by  a  marauding  band  of  Indians.  The  tragedy  occurred  in  the 
evening,  and  the  old  man  died  with  his  Bible  in  his  hand.  It  was  sup- 
posed that  he  was  about  to  engage  in  family  worship  when  the  attack 
was  made. 

Spruce  Hill  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Beatand  Milford  townships, 
on  the  east  by  Turbett,  on  the  south  by  Perry  county,  and  on  the  west 


i68  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

by  the  township  of  Tuscarora.  Tlie  Tuscarora  creek  flows  along  the 
northern  border,  and  south  of  it  runs  the  Tuscarora  \'alley  railroad, 
with  stations  at  Grahams.  Spruce  Hill,  Esh.  Pleasant  \'iew  and  \\'arble. 
In  the  northwestern  part  is  the  village  of  McCoysville,  which  is  the 
largest  in  the  township,  having  a  population  of  142  in  1910.  Near  the 
western  boundary  is  a  station  on  tlie  Tuscarora  Valley  railroad,  called 
Fort  Bigham,  which  is  near  the  site  of  the  old  fort  of  that  name,  which 
was  destroyed  by  the  Indians  on  June  11,  1756.  The  postoffice  at 
Pleasant  View  was  formerly  called  Tuscarora  \'alley.  It  was  estab- 
lished about  1830.  with  James  Milliken  as  postmaster.  The  population 
of  Pleasant  View  was  100  in  1910.  Spruce  Hill,  five  miles  from  Port 
Royal,  is  a  trading  point  for  a  considerable  neighborhood,  and  in  1910 
reported  a  population  of  58.  The  township  derives  its  name  from  an 
elevation  on  the  bank  of  the  Tuscarora  creek,  which  was  covered  with 
spruce  trees  at  the  time  the  township  was  formed. 

Susquehanna  township  was  taken  from  Greenwood  at  the  same  time 
as  Monroe,  in  1858.  and  a  full  account  of  how  the  division  was  made 
may  be  found  in  the  sketch  of  Monroe  township  above.  It  is  the 
smallest  township  in  the  county,  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Monroe 
township  and  Snyder  count}',  on  the  east  by  the  Susquehanna  river, 
on  the  south  by  Perry  county,  and  on  the  west  by  the  township  of 
Greenwood.  The  Mahantango  creek  forms  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  northern  boundary.  Its  largest  tributaries  in  the  township  are 
Jobson's  run  and  Kepner's  run. 

Probably  the  first  land  warrant  for  any  portion  of  what  is  now  Sus- 
quehanna township  was  the  one  issued  to  Thomas  McKee.  on  March  5, 
1755,  for  a  tract  on  the  river  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mahantango  creek, 
where  he  had  established  a  trading  post  some  years  before.  A  trail 
leading  from  that  point  to  the  interior  was  long  known  as  '']\IcKee's 
path."  Above  IMcKee's  Michael  Whitmer  took  up  a  tract  of  150  acres, 
and  he  is  believed  to  have  been  the  founder  of  the  old  stone  mill,  saw- 
mill, and  distillery  at  that  place.  The  first  settlement  back  from  the 
river  was  commenced  in  August,  1766.  when  James  Gallagher  warranted 
a  tract  of  211  acres  near  the  southwest  corner  of  the  townshij).  Other 
early  settlers  were  Samuel  Osborne.  Martin  Doctor.  Henry  Zellers,  Laz- 
arus Wingert,  Rudolph  Schmelzer.  Jacob  Segrist,  and  Joshua  Hunt. 

Oriental,  in  the  northern  part,  is  the  only  village  of  importance.     A 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  169 

store  was  started  there  in  1855  by  Amos  Miller,  who  continued  in  busi- 
ness for  about  ten  years,  and  a  postoffice  was  established  there  before 
the  Civil  War.  The  population  in  1910  was  130.  On  the  Susquehanna 
river,  in  the  southeast  corner,  was  formerly  a  postoffice  called  Mahan- 
tango,  but  it  was  discontinued  when  the  rural  free  delivery  system  was 
inaugurated. 

Turbett  township  was  erected  while  Juniata  was  a  part  of  Mifflin 
countv.  At  the  August  term  of  court  in  181 5  a  petition  was  presented, 
asking  for  a  division  of  Milford  township.  Andrew  Keiser,  David 
Reynolds,  and  William  P.  Maclay  were  appointed  viewers,  and  reported 
in  favor  of  the  division,  which  was  confirmed  at  the  November  term. 
At  that  session  Jonathan  Walker  was  the  presiding  judge,  and  at  his 
suggestion  the  record  was  made  as  follows :  "Court  confirm  the  said 
division  and  name  the  southern  division  'Turbett,'  after  Colonel  Thomas 
Turbett,  under  whom  the  President  of  this  Court  marched  as  a  com- 
mon soldier  against  the  Indians  during  the  Revolution.  He  was  brave, 
vigilant,  and  humane." 

AMien  the  first  assessment  was  taken  in  18 17  there  were  145  resi- 
dent taxpavers  and  twenty-nine  single  freemen.  Spruce  Hill  township 
was  cut  off  from  Turbett  in  1858,  leaving  the  latter  in  its  present  form. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Milford  township,  on  the  east  by  Walker 
and  the  Juniata  river,  on  the  south  by  Perry  county,  and  on  the  west 
by  Spruce  Hill.  East  of  Turbett  and  lying  between  the  Perry  county 
line  and  the  Juniata  river  is  a  narrow  strip  of  land  once  known  as  the 
"Happy  Banks  of  Goshen,"  under  which  name  it  was  patented  to  John 
Thompson,  who  lived  near  Vandyke  station  on  the  Pennsylvania  rail- 
road. A  road  ran  along  the  south  side  of  the  river,  known  as  the 
Goshen  road.  This  strip  was  formerly  in  Milford  township,  but  was 
transferred  to  Fermanagh  in  1791  and  now  forms  that  part  of  Walker 
and  Delaware  townships  lying  south  of  the  Juniata.  At  Thompson's 
there  was  a  shad  fishery. 

On  February  3,  1755,  Captain  W'illiam  Patterson  warranted  336 
acres  opposite  Mexico,  where  his  father.  Captain  James  Patterson,  took 
up  a  large  tract  the  next  day.  Here  he  built  a  block-house  as  a  defence 
against  the  Indians.  In  January,  1768,  with  a  posse  of  nineteen  men, 
William  Patterson  marched  to  Middle  creek,  in  what  is  now  Snyder 
county,   and    arrested   Frederick    Stump   and   John   Eisenhour   for   the 


I70  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

killing  of  the  "White  !Mingo"  and  nine  other  Lidians.  The  prisoners 
were  taken  to  the  Carlisle  jail,  and  Patterson  was  made  a  justice  of  the 
peace  for  making  the  arrest,  the  first  man  to  hold  that  office  west  of 
the  Tuscarora  mountain.  Other  early  settlers  were  Alexander  Denni- 
son,  Stacy  Hepburn,  Thomas  Lowery,  Charles  Hunter,  John  McDowell, 
James  and  William  Kenny,  John  Ivepner,  Robert  I\Ioore,  John  Ander- 
son, and  David  Littell.  Captain  James  Patterson  also  warranted  a  tract 
of  land  where  the  Tuscarora  station  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  is 
now  located.  This  tract  included  the  "Roaring  Spring,"  a  large 
stream  that  issued  from  the  crevices  in  the  rock  with  such  force  as  to 
cause  a  loud  roaring  sound.  The  spring  was  destroyed  by  the  building 
of  the  railroad.  Colonel  Thomas  Turbett,  for  whom  the  township  was 
named,  purchased  James  Kenny's  land  and  in  1775  started  the  first  tan- 
nery in  what  is  now  Juniata  county.  Captain  \\"illiam  ^Martin,  who 
served  in  Armand's  First  Partisan  Legion  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  was 
a  pioneer  in  Turbett  township,  where  he  died  about  1822. 

As  early  as  1798  James  Garner  taught  a  school  in  a  house  near 
Kilmer's  grave-yard,  said  to  have  been  the  first  school  house  in  the 
township.  Jacob  Buehler,  David  Powell  and  Benjamin  Lane  were 
also  among  the  earliest  teachers.  There  was  in  early  days  a  school 
house  in  connection  with  the  Lutheran  church  on  Church  hill.  After 
the  introduction  of  the  public  school  system  the  township  was  divided 
into  five  districts,  and  houses  erected  in  each  by  the  public  funds. 

Near  the  northeast  corner  is  the  borough  of  Port  Royal,  the  largest 
town  in  the  township.  It  is  the  terminus  of  the  Tuscarora  Valley 
railroad,  which  runs  southwest,  the  stations  in  Turbett  township  being 
Old  Port,  Turbett,  Freedom,  and  Grahams.  Along  the  bank  of  the 
Juniata  runs  the  main  line  of  the  Pennsylvania,  with  stations  at  Port 
Royal,  Mexico,  and  Tuscarora. 

Tuscarora  township  was  erected  by  the  Mifflin  county  court  in  1825. 
Early  in  the  year  a  petition  was  received,  asking  for  a  division  of 
Lack  township,  and  Hugh  Hart,  John  Graham,  and  Richard  Doyle 
Avere  appointed  viewers.  At  the  April  term  they  reported  in  favor  of 
the  division  on  the  following  line :  "Beginning  at  a  stone  heap  at  the 
Perry  county  line,  on  the  northeast  side  of  the  gap  of  the  Tuscarora 
mountain  leading  into  Horse  valley;  thence  north  25^  west  through 
lands  of  Benjamin  Wallace,  John  Wilson,  Robert  ]\Iagill,  across  said 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  171 

township  (Lack)  nine  miles  to  the  line  of  Wayne  township,  below  the 
residence  of  Kerney  in  Black  Log  valley,  in  said  county." 

Tuscarora  is  the  second  largest  township  in  the  county,  being 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Mifflin  county,  east  by  the  townships  of  Mil- 
ford,  Beale,  and  Spruce  Hill,  south  by  Perry  county,  and  west  by  Lack 
township.    The  Tuscarora  creek  and  its  tributaries  drain  the  township. 

Robert  McKee,  Samuel  Bigham,  and  John  Collins  were  the  most 
prominent  of  those  who  warranted  lands  in  1755.  In  1762  Jane  Swan, 
widow  of  Thomas  Swan,  who  was  reported  among  the  missing  by 
Colonel  John  Armstrong  after  his  expedition  to  Kittanning,  warranted 
103  acres  in  1762  and  an  additional  sixty-eight  acres  the  following 
March.  The  latter  tract  became  known  as  the  "Deep  Spring  Planta- 
tion." Few  settlements  of  a  permanent  character  were  made  until 
about  1767,  owing  to  the  hostility  of  the  Indians.  Among  those  who 
came  in  1767  were  Thomas  Kerr,  John  Gray,  John  Potts,  William 
Beale,  Joseph  Scott,  Joseph  Scott,  and  John  Morrison.  Stephen  and 
Robert  Porter  had  come  into  the  township  the  preceding  year,  and  in 
1768-69  the  population  was  increased  by  the  arrival  of  Alexander  Potts, 
Daniel  Campbell,  Jonathan  Taylor,  Jane  Campbell,  and  some  others. 
William  Arbuckle,  Thomas  ^Martin,  Samuel  Finley,  James  McLaughlin, 
John  Hamilton,  John  and  Samuel  Martin  had  all  taken  up  lands  prior 
to  the  Revolution.  After  the  Revolution  the  fertile  valleys  of  Tusca- 
rora township  received  their  share  of  the  emigrants  who  came  westward 
on  the  tide  of  emigration. 

One  of  the  first  schools  was  taught  by  James  Butler  near  ]McCoys- 
ville  in  1807.  John  Erskine  taught  near  Reed's  gap,  and  in  181 2  a 
man  named  Gardner  opened  a  school  near  Anderson's  fulling  ]nill.  It 
is  said  that  he  treated  his  pupils  to  whisky  and  sugar.  After  the  public 
school  system  came  in  the  township  was  divided  into  ten  districts. 

The  Tuscarora  Valley  railroad  runs  through  the  southern  part  of 
the  township,  with  stations  at  Honey  Grove,  Heckman,  and  East  Water- 
ford.  Honey  Grove  was  formerly  called  Bealetown,  because  David 
Beale  erected  a  mill  there  at  an  early  date  and  a  settlement  grew  up 
around  the  mill.  A  postoffice  was  established  in  1839,  and  Jesse  Beale 
was  the  first  postmaster.  The  name  of  the  postoffice  was  Beale's  Mills, 
but  when  Francis  Snyder  was  appointed  postmaster  he  objected  to  it  on 
account  of  its  similarity  to  Bell's  ^lills,  and  set  about  having  it  changed. 


172  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

About  that  time  a  swarm  of  bees  made  a  hive  in  a  house  belonging  to 
A\'illiam  A'an  Swearingen,  and  this  incident  suggested  the  name  of 
"Honey  Grove,"  which  was  adopted  by  the  postoffice  department.  The 
village  had  a  population  of  279  in  1910. 

East  Waterford  was  laid  out  by  Dr.  Thomas  Laughlin  about  1796, 
but  the  sale  of  lots  was  slow  for  a  time,  and  a  lottery  was  devised  for 
making  them  move  faster.  Each  subscriber  paid  a  certain  amount, 
and  the  winners  of  lots  were  to  pay  an  additional  amount.  In  the  head- 
ing to  the  subscription  papers  the  town  is  described  as  being  "situated 
on  the  leading  road  from  McClelland's  ferry,  mouth  of  Tuscarora  creek, 
and  Carlisle,  which  leads  to  Path  A'alley,  Aughwick.  and  Burnt  Cabins." 
The  Tuscarora  creek,  on  which  the  town  stands,  is  described  as  "navi- 
gable in  time  of  flood  for  a  considerable  burthen  down  to  the  Juniata 
river,"  etc.  In  1884  the  village,  according  to  a  description  written  at 
that  time  by  Professor  A.  L.  Guss,  contained  "a  store,  hotel,  and  twenty- 
seven  d>velling  houses.  Several  of  its  industries,  past  and  present,  are 
up  the  Mill  run  within  the  limits  of  Lack  township."  After  the  building 
of  the  Tuscarora  \'alley  railroad  the  place  began  to  grow,  and  in  1910 
it  had  a  population  of  340. 

McCo}'sville,  near  the  eastern  Ijorder  of  the  township,  grew  up  about 
the  mill  built  by  Xeal  McCoy  in  1829.  A  postoffice  was  established  in 
1837,  with  Joseph  S.  Laird  as  postmaster.  A  store  and  a  hotel  soon 
followed,  and  in  a  few  years  McCoysville  became  a  neighborhood 
center.  Like  most  rural  hamlets,  it  has  never  grown  to  any  considerable 
proportions.     Its  population  in  1910  was  142. 

In  the  northwestern  part  is  a  little  hamlet  and  postoffice  called  Reed's 
Gap.  It  is  at  the  gap  leading  into  the  head  of  the  Black  Log  valley, 
on  a  tract  of  land  warranted  by  Robert  Reed,  hence  the  name.  In  1869 
a  postoffice  was  established  here,  and  James  Irwin  was  the  first  post- 
master. A  few  years  later  there  were  two  stores,  a  blacksmith  shop, 
several  dwellings,  etc.     In  1910  the  population  was  but  56. 

\\"alker  township,  situated  in  the  central  part  of  the  county,  was 
erected  while  Juniata  was  still  a  part  of  Mifflin  county.  In  November, 
1821,  a  petition  asking  that  a  new  township  be  created  from  Ferma- 
nagh was  presented  to  the  court.  Daniel  Christy.  William  AIcAlister, 
Jr.,  and  David  Walker  were  appointed  viewers,  and  on  January  19,  1822, 
made  a  report  favoring  the  division  of  Fermanagh  and  recommending 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  173 

certain  boundaries  for  the  new  township.  At  the  April  term  following 
the  report  was  confirmed,  and  the  southern  part  of  Fermanagh  was 
erected  into  a  new  township  called  \A'alker.  Its  original  area  was 
reduced  by  the  formation  of  Delaware  township  in  1836,  since  which 
time  it  has  been  bounded  as  follows :  On  the  north  by  the  townships 
of  Fayette  and  Fermanagh,  on  the  east  by  Delaware,  on  the  south 
by  Perry  county,  and  on  the  west  by  the  townships  of  Milford  and 
Turbett,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Juniata  river.  A  portion 
of  the  township  lies  south  of  the  Juniata  in  the  narrow  strip  between 
the  river  and  Perry  county. 

In  the  report  of  Richard  Peters,  provincial  secretary,  in  1850,  con- 
cerning the  trespassers  on  the  Indian  lands,  is  the  following  statement : 

"About  the  year  1740  or  1741,  one  Frederick  Star,  a  German,  with 
two  or  three  more  of  his  countrymen,  made  some  settlements  at  the 
above  place,  where  we  found  W^illiam  White,  the  Galloways,  and 
Andrew  Lycon,  on  Big  Juniata,  situate  at  the  distance  of  twenty-five 
miles  from  the  mouth  thereof,  and  about  ten  miles  north  of  the  Blue 
Hills,  a  place  much  esteemed  by  the  Indians  for  some  of  their  best 
hunting-grounds,  which  ( settlers )  were  discovered  by  the  Delawares 
at  Shamokin  to  the  deputies  of  the  Six  Nations,  as  they  came  down 
to  Philadelphia  in  1743,"  etc. 

The  distance  from  the  mouth  of  the  Juniata,  coupled  with  the  state- 
ments of  Rupp  and  others  that  the  settlement  made  by  the  Germans 
was  on  the  north  side  of  the  Juniata,  would  bring  the  trespassers  within 
the  limits  of  the  present  Walker  township.  In  response  to  the  repeated 
complaints  of  the  Indians  the  squatters  were  expelled  and  some  of 
their  cabins  burned,  though  Peters,  in  the  report  above  referred  to, 
says :  "It  may  be  proper  to  add  that  the  cabbins  or  log  Houses  which 
were  burnt  were  of  no  considerable  value,  being  such  as  Country  People 
erect  in  a  day  or  two,  and  cost  only  the  charge  of  an  entertainment." 

If  the  location  of  the  squatters  in  Walker  township  is  correct  they 
were  doubtless  the  first  white  men  who  attempted  to  establish  them- 
selves in  that  section.  On  February  3,  1755,  the  first  day  the  land 
office  was  open  for  business  in  the  matter  of  granting  land  warrants 
for  the  new  purchase,  William  White  and  John  Lycon  each  took  out 
warrants — the  former  for  200  and  the  latter  for  323  acres — on  the 
Juniata,    adjoining   the   tract   warranted   on   the   next   day   by   James 


174  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Patterson  where  Mexico  now  stands.  Patterson  has  generally  been 
credited  with  being  the  first  settler,  but  in  view  of  the  above  facts  it  is 
quite  probable  that  the  honor  belongs  to  Frederick  Star  and  his  asso- 
ciates. Patterson  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  early  settlers. 
In  1767  he  built  the  first  grist-mill  and  saw-mill  east  of  the  Juniata. 
During  the  latter  years  of  the  French  and  Indian  war  his  house  was 
used  as  base  of  supplies,  and  at  one  time,  in  the  fall  of  1756,  a  large 
quantity  of  flour  was  stored  there  for  the  use  of  troops  on  the  fron- 
tier. 

In  the  expulsion  of  the  trespassers  Andrew  Lycon  resisted  arrest, 
for  which  his  cabin  was  burned  and  he  was  taken  to  Carlisle  and  placed 
in  jail.  His  name  does  not  appear  again  in  connection  with  the  settle- 
ment of  the  Juniata  valley,  but  on  February  3,  1755,  John  Lycon  (also 
written  Lukens )  was  granted  ^2^  acres  of  land  opposite  the  present 
Vandyke  station.  Other  early  settlers  were  Valentine  Sterns,  Jesse 
Jacobs,  William  Cochran,  John  Mitchell,  Robert  Tea,  David  Walker, 
Michael  Funk,  David  Allen,  Rev.  Thomas  Barton,  and  John  Hamilton. 

David  Walker  was  a  native  of  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  and  dur- 
ing the  Revolution  served  as  a  member  of  the  company  raised  in  what 
is  now  Juniata  county  and  commanded  by  Captain  Gibson.  Some 
claim  that  the  township  was  named  for  him  and  others  contend 
that  it  was  named  for  Jonathan  Walker,  who  was  for  a 
number  of  years  the  president  judge  of  the  Mifflin  county  court. 
John  Hamilton  was  captain  of  the  cavalry  company  that  was  raised 
in  1776  and  joined  \\'ashington  the  next  day  after  the  battle  of  Tren- 
ton.    In   1787  he  removed  to  Harrisburg,  and  died  there  in  August, 

1793- 

In   18 1 2  Tobias  Kreider  laid  out  the  town  of  New  Mexico  at  the 

mouth  of  Doe  run.  John  S.  Blair  opened  a  tavern  there  in  1820,  after 
the  turnpike  was  completed,  and  kept  the  place  for  many  years.  The 
first  store  in  the  village  was  opened  by  James  Thompson  in  1814,  and, 
when  the  postoffice  was  established  in  182 1,  he  was  appointed  postmaster. 
Hugh  Knox  was  the  first  blacksmith,  and  in  1836  Charles  Thompson 
built  a  foundry  which  continued  in  operation  for  about  thirty  years. 
The  "New"  was  dropped  from  the  name  some  years  ago  and  the  place  is 
known  simply  as  "Mexico,"  a  station  on  the  Pennsylvania  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  river  bearing  the  same  name.     The  population  of  the 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  175 

village  in  19 10  was  184.  Other  villages  in  the  township  are  Van  Wert, 
known  at  first  as  "Slabtown,"  in  the  eastern  part,  and  Vandyke,  a  small 
station  between  Mexico  and  Thompsontown.  About  a  mile  below  Mif- 
flintown,  on  the  river,  James  Taylor  laid  out  a  town  about  1789  which 
was  known  as  Taylorstown  and  later  as  Mifflinburgh.  The  lots  were  in 
time  returned  to  agricultural  use  and  the  town  L  only  a  vague  memory. 

There  are  four  boroughs  in  Juniata  county:  Mififlintown,  Mifflin, 
Port  Royal,  and  Thompsontown.  Mifflintown,  the  county-seat  and 
largest  town  in  the  county,  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  Juniata  river,  forty-nine  miles  from  Harrisburg.  The  town  site  was 
warranted  to  Alexander  Lafferty  on  September  8,  1755.  After  several 
changes  in  ownership  it  passed  to  John  Harris  in  1774.  When  the  move- 
ment for  the  erection  of  Mifflin  county  commenced  in  1788  a  number  of 
citizens,  through  a  committee  of  three  disinterested  persons,  selected 
Harris'  plantation  as  the  site  of  the  county-seat.  Before  the  question 
was  finally  settled  Harris,  iu  /790,  laid  out  a  town  and  named  it  Mifflin- 
town, in  honor  of  Governor  Thomas  Mifflin.  The  square  now  occupied 
by  the  court-house  and  jail  was  set  apart  by  him  for  the  county  build- 
ings, and  the  fight  to  have  the  county-seat  located  there  was  kept  up 
for  years.  Harris  died  on  February  24.  1794,  and  did  not  see  the  reali- 
zation of  his  hopes,  for  Mifflintown  did  not  become  a  county-seat  until 
after  the  erection  of  Juniata  county  in  1831. 

When  John  Harris  bought  the  land  in  1774  there  was  a  log  house 
upon  it  south  of  the  ravine,  "at  the  intersection  of  the  Cedar  Spring  road 
and  Water  street."  Rev.  Philip  Fithian  stopped  with  Harris  the  next 
year  and  described  his  house  as  "elegant,  the  windows  in  the  parlor  each 
containing  twenty-four  large  lights  of  glass."  This  was  the  first  house 
in  ]\Iifflintown,  but  by  whom  it  was  built  is  not  certain.  Additions  were 
made  to  it  by  Harris  and  in  time  it  assumed  the  character  described  by 
Fithian.  In  1791  the  proprietor  of  the  town  designated  a  lot  on  Main 
street  for  a  church  and  cemetery,  in  which  he  was  the  first  person  to  be 
interred. 

A  slight  impulse  was  given  to  the  growth  of  the  town  by  the  open- 
ing of  the  canal  in  1829,  and  after  the  erection  of  Juniata  county  the 
village  took  on  new  life.  The  first  court-house  was  built  in  1832.  On 
December  19,  1832,  a  meeting  was  held  to  discuss  the  advisability  of 
incorporating  the  town.     A  petition  was  prepared  and  signed  by  nearly 


1/6  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNL\TA    VALLEY 

all  present,  after  which  it  was  sent  to  the  legislature.  On  March  6,  1833, 
Governor  Wolfe  approved  the  act  incorporating  the  town.  An  election 
for  ])orough  officers  was  held  a  few  days  later  and  resulted  in  the  choice 
of  the  following:  James  Frow,  chief  burgess;  David  Elder,  assistant 
burgess;  Joseph  Cummings,  Robert  C.  Gallagher,  Andrew  Parker,  Amos 
Gustine,  and  James  JMathers,  councilmen ;  Samuel  Wright,  constable. 
These  officers  met  at  the  house  of  Joseph  Cummings  on  ]\Iarch  18,  1833, 
and  were  sworn  into  office. 

The  first  physician  in  the  town  was  Dr.  Ezra  Doty,  a  native  of 
Sharon,  Connecticut.  Shortly  after  Mifflintown  was  founded  he  made 
a  tour  of  Pennsylvania  and  stopped  there  for  the  night.  One  of  the  citi- 
zens was  suddenly  taken  ill  and  the  young  doctor  was  called  in.  His 
patient  recovered  and  the  neighbors  persuaded  him  to  locate  there. 

In  1792  Captain  David  Davidson  located  in  Mifflintown.  He  had 
served  in  the  Continental  army  during  the  Revolution.  He  built  a  hotel 
on  Water  street  and  named  it  the  "General  Greene  House,''  which  he 
kept  for  several  years.  This  was  the  first  hotel.  Some  years  later 
the  "Yellow  House"  was  opened  and  conducted  as  a  hotel  until  destroyed 
by  fire,  the  daughter  and  stepdaughter  of  the  proprietor  perishing  in  the 
flames.  The  Mansion  House,  later  the  National  Hotel,  was  built  in 
1833.  Other  hotels  came  later,  but  in  the  spring  of  1913,  when  the 
court  refused  to  grant  licenses  for  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liciuors,  two 
of  the  largest  houses  closed. 

.\  postoffice  was  established  early  in  the  nineteenth  century,  and  in 
t8o8  Captain  Davidson  was  postmaster.  In  that  year  the  Juniata  Stage 
Company  began  running  their  stages  through  Mifflintown.  The  first 
newspapers,  the  Juniata  Free  Press  and  the  Juniata  Telegraph,  were 
started  in  1832.  The  first  tannery  was  started  by  Jacob  Wright,  who 
came  to  Mifflintown  from  Chambersburg  in  1794.  Amos  Doty,  a 
brother  of  the  doctor,  started  the  second  one  about  1809.  Among  the 
pioneer  merchants  were  Amos  Gustine,  James  Knox,  Robert  C.  Gallag- 
her, and  S.  &  M.  W.  Abraham.     The  first  bank  was  established  in  1864. 

In  August,  1795,  in  a  petition  for  opening  a  road,  mention  is  made 
of  a  "school  house  on  Main  street,"  which  is  the  first  information  of 
such  an  institution  in  the  town.  Rev.  Matthew  Brown  was  one  of  the 
early  teachers,  but  whether  in  this  house  or  not  is  not  known.  In  181 5 
a  subscription  fund  was  started  for  the  erection  of  a  public  school  house 


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HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  177 

and  in  Alay,  1816,  the  trustees — Rev.  John  Hutcheson,  Benjamin  Law, 
and  William  Bell — bought  a  lot  on  Third  street  and  a  stone  house  was 
built  during  that  year.  On  November  4.  1S34,  a  meeting  was  held  in 
the  court-house,  composed  of  delegates  from  the  several  townships, 
which  decided  to  raise  $3,500  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  public 
schools,  pursuant  to  the  law  passed  at  the  preceding  session  of  the  legis- 
lature. The  Mitflintown  Academy  was  founded  and  incorporated  in 
1883. 

In  1910  the  population  of  Alifflintown  was  954.  It  has  two  national 
banks,  a  number  of  well-stocked  stores,  water-works,  electric  lighting 
system,  neat  residences,  several  commodious  church  buildings,  and  the 
general  atmosphere  is  one  of  contentment  and  prosperity. 

Mit^in,  directly  across  the  Juniata  river  from  Mifflintown,  was  until 
recently  called  Patterson,  under  which  name  it  was  laid  out  in  1849. 
The  land  where  the  borough  stands  was  warranted  to  John  ]\IcClellan  in 
September,  1755,  and  the  place  was  known  as  ]\IcClellan's  ferry  for  a 
long  time  before  the  town  was  laid  out.  A  tract  of  ground  was  given 
by  the  proprietors  to  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  which  built 
repair  shops  there  in  185 1.  This  gave  the  new  town  an  impetus,  a  force 
of  some  seventy-five  men  being  employed  in  the  shops,  and  Patterson 
was  for  a  time  an  active  little  place.  In  1869  most  of  the  machinery 
in  the  shops  was  removed  to  Altoona  and  two  years  later  the  round- 
house was  demolished,  which  proved  a  check  upon  the  prosperity.  Fal- 
lon &  Wright  built  a  hotel  called  the  Patterson  House  and  had  a  con- 
tract with  the  railroad  company  that  two  trains  daily  were  to  stop  there 
long  enough  for  passengers  to  take  meals.  The  hotel  was  kept  by  the 
Lusk  brothers  until  1854  and  then  by  William  Bell  for  about  four  years, 
after  which  it  became  merely  a  lunch  room. 

Patterson  was  incorporated  by  an  act  of  the  legislature,  approved 
March  17,  1853,  and  by  the  act  of  April  i8th  of  the  same  year  John 
J.  Patterson,  James  North,  and  Joseph  IMiddaugh  were  authorized  to 
carry  out  the  provisions  of  the  incorporation  act  by  holding  an  election 
for  borough  officers  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  Alay.  Subsequently  it  was 
discovered  that  the  tax  on  the  act  of  incorporation  had  not  been  paid 
and  the  act  was  therefore  inoperative  and  the  election  void.  Bv  the  act 
of  April  13,  1854,  the  election  was  legalized  and  the  borough  became  a 
thing  of  fact.     The  writer  has  been  unable  to  ascertain  the  results  of 


178  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

that  first  election.     The  first  school  board  was  organized  on  May  23, 

1853- 

On  April  i,   1880,  a  hook  and  ladder  company  was  organized  and 

provided  itself  with  truck,  ladders,  buckets,  Babcock  fire  extinguishers, 

etc.     It  was  chartered  on  June  10,  1884,  as  the  "Friendship  Hook  and 

Ladder  Company,"  with  about  fifty  members.    A  house  was  erected  for 

the  use  of  the  company  and  on  it  was  placed  the  bell  formerly  on  the 

old  court-house. 

James  North  was  the  first  merchant.  He  opened  his  store  in  ]\Iay, 
1850,  with  a  stock  of  goods  valued  at  $250.  Oles  &  Frank  opened  a 
store  in  1853.  Twenty-five  years  later  the  borough  had  seven  dry-goods 
stores,  a  drug  store,  a  hardware  store,  three  hotels,  a  shoe  store,  and  two 
coal  and  lumber  yards. 

In  the  census  of  1910  the  name  is  still  given  as  Patterson,  but  about 
that  time  the  name  of  the  postoffice  was  changed  to  jMifilin  and  the  name 
of  the  borough  was  altered  to  correspond.  In  that  year  the  population 
was  885.  Mifflin  has  a  bank,  several  good  mercantile  houses,  hotels,  etc., 
and  is  the  principal  railway  station  between  Port  Royal  and  Lewistown. 

Port  Royal,  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tuscarora  creek,  three 
miles  east  of  Mifflin,  had  its  beginning  more  than  a  century  ago.  In 
June,  1792.  John  Campbell  sold  to  Lawrence  King  218  acres  of  land 
on  Tuscarora  creek,  a  short  distance  above  the  mouth.  Some  time  be- 
tween that  and  the  end  of  the  century  King  laid  out  a  town  which  was 
called  "St.  Tammany's  Town."  In  April,  1815,  Henry  Groce  laid  out 
a  town  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek  and  named  it  Perrysville  in  honor  of 
Commodore  Perry,  whose  fame  was  at  that  time  being  discussed  by 
nearly  everybody.  In  1833,  or  about  that  time,  a  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished at  St.  Tammany's  Town  and  the  name  of  the  office  was  made 
"Port  Royal."  AAHien  the  railroad  was  completed  Perrysville  was  on 
the  line  of  the  railway  and  the  business  of  St.  Tammany's  Town  began 
to  drift  to  the  station.  In  1847  the  postoffice  was  removed  there,  but 
the  name  was  not  changed.  In  the  meantime  the  town  at  the  mouth  of 
the  creek  had  been  incorporated  on  April  4,  1843,  under  the  name  of 
Perrysville.  One  name  for  the  borough  and  another  for  the  postoffice 
caused  confusion,  but  it  was  not  until  1874  that  the  name  of  Perrysville 
was  dropped  and  the  borough  took  the  name  of  Port  Royal.  Since  that 
time  St.  Tammanv's  Town  has  been  known  as  "Old  Port." 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  179 

The  first  store  in  Port  Royal  (or  Ferrysville)  was  kept  by  Benjamin 
Kepner  in  a  stone  house  near  the  river.  In  April,  1829,  the  Perrysville 
Bridge  Company  was  incorporated  and  the  first  bridge  across  the  river 
was  built  two  years  later.  It  was  broken  down  by  the  weight  of  a  heavy 
snow-fall  in  1839.  A  second  bridge  was  built  in  1842  and  it  was  washed 
away  by  a  flood  in  October,  1847.  The  third  bridge  was  built  in  1851. 
The  first  school  was  taught  by  John  Gish  in  a  house  that  stood  on  the 
river  bank.  On  April  5,  1856,  the  borough  was  organized  as  a  separate 
district  and  in  1870  a  two-story  brick  school  house  was  built. 

In  1910  the  population  of  Port  Royal  was  535.  It  has  a  bank,  sev- 
eral good  stores,  some  manufacturing  enterprises,  churches  of  various 
denominations,  and  a  number  of  neat  residences.  It  is  the  terminus  of 
the  Tuscarora  Valley  railroad,  which  runs  southwest  up  the  valley 
through  a  rich  agricultural  district  and  is  the  means  of  bringing  to  the 
merchants  of  Port  Royal  a  large  country  trade. 

Thompsontown  grew  up  about  the  mill  erected  by  John  Kepner  in 
1 77 1.  William  Thompson  bought  a  part  of  the  tract  in  1785  and  in 
1790  laid  out  the  town.  In  the  same  year  Michael  Holman  was  licensed 
to  keep  a  tavern,  which  was  one  of  the  first  business  enterprises  estab- 
ylajixj-^  ^^^^^^-  /^li^hSef  Lichtenthaler  came  to  the  village  in  1796  and  opened 
a  tavern.  He  also  operated  two  distilleries  until  his  death  about  1810. 
John  McGary  was  the  first  postmaster,  the  postoffice  being  kept  in  his 
tavern,  and  he  was  also  the  first  justice  of  the  peace.  Other  early  busi- 
ness concerns  were  the  tannery  of  James  McLin,  started  about  1794,  and 
the  store  of  William  Thompson,  which  was  opened  in  iSoi.  In  1809 
he  put  up  a  fulling  mill  and  two  distilleries  and  in  1812  added  a  carding 
machine  to  the  fulling  mill.     He  died  about  a  year  later. 

Miss  Nancy  McGary  was  the  first  school  teacher.  In  1833  the 
Thompsontown  Academy  was  built  by  subscription  and  was  used  as  a 
school  house  and  church  for  several  years.  In  1838  the  township  of 
Delaware  accepted  the  school  law  and  the  Thompsontown  school  was  a 
part  of  the  township  system  until  the  spring  of  1868,  when  it  was  made 
an  independent  district.  This  was  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  Thomp- 
sontown had  been  incorporated  as  a  borough  on  December  4,  1867,  with 
Thomas  Patton  as  the  first  chief  burgess. 

Lodges  of  various  fraternal  organizations  are  or  have  been  in  exist- 
ence in  Thompsontown.     The  Odd  Fellows'  hall  was  built  by  a  stock 


l8o  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

company,  in  connection  with  which  the  Postoffice  Building  Association 
was  organized  in  October,  1865.  In  1905  a  bank  was  organized  with  a 
capital  stock  of  $10,000.     The  population  of  the  borough  in  1910  was 

293- 

Besides  the  four  boroughs,  the  postoffices  of  the  county,  with  the 
population  of  each,  are  as  follows:  Academia,  186;  Blacklog,  173; 
Bunkertown,  62 ;  Cocolamus,  220 ;  Doyle's  Mills,  48 ;  East  Waterf ord, 
340;  Evandale,  125;  Honey  Grove,  279;  Kilmer,  26;  McAlisterville, 
578;  McCoysville,  142;  Mexico,  184;  Nook,  25;  Oakland  Mills,  121; 
Oriental,  130;  Perulack,  27;  Pleasant  View,  100;  Reed's  Gap,  56;  Rich- 
field, 500;  Ross  Farm,  22;  Spruce  Hill,  58;  Vandyke,  34;  Walnut,  150; 
Wistie,  30.  There  are  two  rural  delivery  routes  from  East  Waterford, 
one  from  Honey  Grove,  two  from  McAlisterville,  one  from  ]^Iifflin,  three 
from  MifHintown,  one  from  Perulack,  two  from  Port  Royal,  two  from 
Richfield,  one  from  Spruce  Hill,  and  two  from  Thompsontown,  making 
a  total  of  seventeen  in  the  county. 


CHAPTER    X 
PERRY    COUNTY,    ORGANIZATION,     ETC. 

Perry  a  Part  of  Cumberland  County — Organic  Act  of  1820 — Boundaries  as  Fixed  by 
the  Law — Commission  to  Locate  the  County  Seat — Ten  Sites  in  the  Contest — 
Protests — A  New  Commission — General  Dissatisfaction — Meetings  Held — A  Third 
Commission — End  of  the  Contest — Sale  of  Lots — The  First  Jail — Court-House 
and  Additions  Thereto — A  New  Jail — The  Poor-House — Election  Districts — Irreg- 
ular Outline  of  the  County — Boundaries— Railroads — The  Civil  List. 

PERRY  county  embraces  the  southern  part  of  the  Indian  purchase 
of  July  6,  1854,  and  began  its  separate  existence  as  a  political 
organization  under  the  provisions  of  the  act  of  the  Pennsylvania 
legislature  approved  March  22,  1820.  Prior  to  the  passage  of  that  act 
all  the  territory  now  included  within  the  limits  of  Perry  county  formed 
a  part  of  the  county  of  Cumberland. 

Section  i  of  the  act  provided  that  "From  and  after  the  first  day  of 
September,  1820,  all  that  part  of  Cumberland  county  lying  north  of  the 
Blue  mountain,  beginning  on  the  summit  of  the  Blue  mountain,  where 
the  Franklin  county  line  crosses  the  same,  and  running  thence  along  the 
summit  thereof  an  eastwardly  course  to  the  river  Susquehanna;  thence 
up  the  west  side  of  the  same  to  the  line  of  Mifflin  county ;  thence  along 
the  Mifflin  county  line  to  the  Juniata  river;  thence  along  the  summit  of 
the  Tuscarora  mountains  to  the  Franklin  county  line;  thence  along  the 
Franklin  county  line  to  the  place  of  beginning,  be  and  the  same  is  hereby 
declared  to  be  erected  into  a  separate  county  to  be  called  Perry." 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  at  the  time  Perry  county  was  thus 
created  the  county  of  Juniata  was  part  of  Mifflin,  and  the  Mifflin  county 
line  described  in  the  above  section  is  now  the  southern  boundary  of 
Juniata. 

Section  9  authorized  the  governor  to  appoint,  before  the  first  day 
of  September,  when  the  act  was  to  become  effective,  "three  disinter- 
ested persons,  not  resident  in  the  county  of  Cumberland  or  Perry,  whose 

181 


i82  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

duty  it  shall  be  to  select  a  proper  and  convenient  site  for  a  court-house, 
prison,  and  county  offices,  as  near  the  center  as  circumstances  shall  admit, 
having  regard  to  convenience  of  roads,  territory,  population,  and  ac- 
commodation of  the  people,"  etc. 

Pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  this  section.  Governor  Findlay  ap- 
pointed William  Beale,  Jacob  Buchner,  and  David  Maclay,  as  commis- 
sioners, and  immediately  a  spirited  rivalry  started  among  different  locali- 
ties for  the  county  seat.  Ten  contestants  entered  the  race,  viz :  Landis- 
burg.  Cedar  Run  (then  in  Toboyne  but  now  in  Madison  township), 
Douglas'  place  near  Greenpark,  Elliottsburg,  Captain  William  Power's 
place,  Casper  Lupfer's  farm  near  the  present  town  of  New  Bloomfield, 
George  Barnett's  place,  Reider's  Ferry  (now  Newport),  a  site  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Juniata  river  opposite  Millerstown,  and  Clark's  Ferry. 
Meetings  were  held  in  the  interests  of  each  of  the  proposed  sites,  and 
in  some  instances  funds  were  raised  by  subscription  for  the  purpose  of 
defraying  the  expense  of  erecting  public  buildings.  The  Landisburg  sub- 
scription list  was  signed  by  fifty-eight  persons  and  aggregated  $i.6io. 
Helfenstine  and  Cry,  the  chief  promoters  of  the  Cedar  Run  site,  headed 
a  list  signed  by  thirty-one  persons,  promising  to  pay  $2,907,  and  further 
agreed  to  raise  the  amount  to  $5,000  in  the  event  their  site  was  chosen. 
Casper  Lupfer,  in  a  communication  to  the  commissioners,  ofifered  to 
donate  a  certain  amount  of  land  and  to  "execute  a  deed  of  conveyance  to 
the  commissioners  of  Perry  county,  or  to  any  person  or  persons  lawfully 
authorized  to  receive  title  for  the  site  for  the  court-house,  prison,  and 
county  offices,  gratis  and  without  any  fee  or  reward  whatever,  to  be  for 
the  only  proper  use,  benefit,  and  behoof  of  the  county  of  Perry  forever." 

After  two  weeks  spent  in  examining  the  various  proposed  sites,  the 
commissioners,  on  August  17,  1820,  announced  their  selection  as  the 
farm  of  Captain  William  Power,  about  two  miles  west  of  the  present 
town  of  New  Bloomfield.  This  action  seemed  to  meet  with  general  dis- 
approval. On  August  26th  a  public  meeting  at  Landisburg  adopted  a 
resolution  protesting  against  the  site  selected,  on  the  ground  that  it  was 
"a  place  having  no  intersection  of  roads,  no  direct  intercourse  with 
adjacent  counties,  destitute  of  good  water,  good  mills,  or  even  good  mill 
seats." 

The  contest  was  now  reopened  and  the  fight  began  in  earnest.  Dur- 
ing the  fall  and  early  winter  a  petition  to  the  legislature  asking  for  the 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  183 

appointment  of  another  commission  was  circulated  throughout  the 
county  and  received  a  large  number  of  signatures.  In  response  to  this 
petition  the  legislature  passed  an  act  on  April  2,  182 1,  directing  the 
appointment  of  a  new  commission  before  May  i,  1821,  and  provided 
that  the  final  report  of  such  commission  should  be  in  the  hands  of  the 
governor  not  later  than  the  first  of  June.  The  names  of  the  commis- 
sioners appointed  under  this  act  cannot  be  ascertained,  but  it  is  known 
that  they  recommended  Reider's  Ferry  (Newport)  as  a  location  for  the 
county  seat.  As  this  point  is  several  miles  north  and  east  of  the  center 
of  the  county,  the  choice  aroused  more  dissatisfaction  than  did  that  of 
the  first  commission.  Again  the  question  was  brought  before  the  legis- 
lature and,  on  March  11,  1822,  Governor  Hiester  approved  an  act  in 
which  Moses  Rankin,  of  York  county;  James  Hindman,  of  Chester 
county;  Peter  Frailey,  of  Schuylkill  county;  David  FuUerton,  of  Frank- 
lin county,  and  James  Agnew,  of  the  county  of  Bedford,  were  named  as 
commissioners,  with  instructions  to  select  a  site  for  a  county  seat  and 
report  by  June  i,  1822. 

These  commissioners  decided  in  favor  of  Landisburg,  which  is  about 
as  far  from  the  center  of  the  county  as  Reider's  Ferry,  but  in  the  opposite 
direction.  The  selection,  therefore,  did  not  suit  the  people  of  the  eastern 
part  of  the  county.  On  June  5,  1822,  only  a  few  days  after  the  report  of 
the  commission  was  made  public,  the  citizens  of  the  five  eastern  townships 
held  a  meeting  at  the  house  of  John  Koch,  in  what  is  now  Juniata  town- 
ship, to  make  formal  protest.  Frazer  Montgomery,  William  Waugh,  and 
John  Harper  were  chosen  as  a  committee  to  prepare  an  address  to  the 
people  of  the  county  showing  why  the  action  of  the  commissioners 
should  be  repudiated.  The  address  was  a  rather  lengthy  one,  but  its 
burden  was  that  Landisburg  was  within  three  miles  of  the  Cumberland 
county  line,  and  that  the  selection  of  such  a  place  for  a  county  seat  was 
unjust  to  the  county  at  large.  No  further  agitation  of  the  subject  oc- 
curred until  October  16,  1822,  when  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Juniata 
and  Buffalo  townships  was  held  at  the  house  of  Meredith  Darlington 
for  a  general  consideration  of  the  county  seat  question.  At  this  meeting 
a  resolution  favoring  the  first  location — Captain  Power's  farm  in  the 
Limestone  valley — was  adopted  and  a  petition  was  drawn  up  setting 
forth  the  facts  that  three  commissions  had  been  appointed  under  acts 
of  the  legislature;  that  the  last  commission  had  recommended  the  loca- 


i84  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

tion  of  the  county  seat  at  Landisburg,  and  requested  that  the  site  chosen 
by  the  first  commission  be  made  the  seat  of  justice. 

The  action  of  this  meeting  stirred  the  other  portions  of  the  county  to 
activity.     On  November   i6th  a  meeting  was  held  at  Bark  Tavern  in 
Rye  township,  at  which  it  was  proposed  that  the  citizens  of  the  several 
townships  each  elect  two  delegates  on  December  7th,  the  delegates  so 
selected  to  meet  at  the  Bark  Tavern  on  the  loth  to  decide  upon  a  location 
for  a  county  seat  and  then  circulate  a  petition  asking  the  legislature  to 
pass  an  act  fixing  the  seat  of  justice  upon  the  site  thus  selected.     No 
record  has  been  preserved  of  the  meeting  of  the  delegates  on  December 
loth,  but  when  the  legislature  assembled  shortly  afterward  ^Ir.  Mitchell. 
a  member  of  the  house  of  representatives,  introduced  in  that  body  a 
number  of  petitions,  signed  by  some  eight  hundred  citizens  of  the  county, 
asking  that  the  county  seat  be  established  upon  the  site  selected  by  the 
first  commission.     After  much  discussion  the  proposition  was  finally 
defeated  in  the  house  on  February  24,  1823,  and  a  few  days  later  the 
senate  began  the  consideration  of  a  bill  authorizing  the  appointment  of 
a  fourth  commission.     This  measure  passed  both  branches  of  the  legis- 
lature and  was  approved  by  the  governor  on  March  31,   1823.     Soon 
after  that  date  Governor  Hiester  appointed  Joseph  Huston,  of  Fayette 
county:  Dr.  Phineas  Jenks,  of  Bucks;  Abner  Leacock.  of  Beaver;  Henry 
Sheets,  of  Alontgomery,  and  Cromwell  Pearce,  of  Chester,  as  commis- 
sioners. 

Four  of  these  commissioners  met  at  the  house  of  ^leredith  Darlin-'- 
ton  on  \\'ednesda3',  ]\Iay  28,  1823,  Mr.  Huston  being  absent.  Owing 
to  inclement  weather  nothing  was  done  until  the  following  Friday,  when 
the  commissioners  visited  Landisburg,  after  which  they  looked  at  other 
locations  and  ultimately  decided  in  favor  of  George  Barnett's  farm,  in 
Juniata  township,  about  two  miles  east  of  the  site  selected  by  the  first 
commission  nearly  three  years  before.  Their  report  to  this  effect  was 
made  to  the  governor  and.  in  January,  1824,  was  laid  before  the  legisla- 
ture. Jacob  Huggins,  then  the  representative  from  Perry  county,  pre- 
sented several  petitions  asking  for  the  confirmation  of  the  re- 
port ;  and  also  petitions  from  the  advocates  of  Landisburg  praving  that 
the  county  seat  might  be  located  at  that  point.  The  report  of  the  com- 
mission was  finally  confirmed  by  the  legislature  and,  on  April  12,  1824, 
George  Barnett  executed  a  deed   conveying   to  the   commissioners  of 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  185 

Perry  county  a  tract  of  nearly  nine  acres  of  land — the  site  chosen  by  the 
commission  in  May,  1823.  Thus,  after  a  contest  of  nearly  four  years, 
the  seat  of  justice  in  Perry  county  was  permanently  established. 

Section  10  of  the  organic  act  which  authorized  the  county  commis- 
sioners to  accept  the  title  of  the  site  chosen,  also  authorized  them  to 
"assess,  levy,  and  collect  money  to  build  a  court-house  and  prison." 
Section  16  provided  that  "all  prisoners  of  Perry  county  shall  be  kept 
in  the  Cumberland  county  jail  for  the  term  of  three  years,  or  until  the 
commissioners  of  Perry  county  shall  have  certified  to  the  court  that  a 
jail  is  erected  and  approved  by  the  court  and  grand  jury.'' 

To  carry  out  these  provisions,  so  far  as  they  related  to  the  erection 
of  a  court-house  and  jail,  the  Perry  county  commissioners — Robert 
Elliott,  Samuel  Linn,  and  John  Maxwell — advertised  on  May  17,  1824, 
that  twenty-five  lots  on  the  public  ground  recently  conveyed  to  the  county 
by  George  Barnett  would  be  sold  at  public  outcry  on  Wednesday,  June 
23d,  following.  What  the  results  of  that  auction  sale  were  the  writer 
has  been  unable  to  learn,  but  on  July  7,  1S24,  the  commissioners  adver- 
tised for  proposals  for  the  erection  of  a  stone  jail,  the  dimensions  of 
which  were  to  be  32  by  50  feet,  with  walls  two  and  a  half  feet  in  thick- 
ness, two  stories  in  height,  with  four  rooms  on  the  lower  floor  and  six 
on  the  upper.  The  contract  for  the  erection  of  this  jail  was  awarded  to 
John  Rice  for  $2,400,  but  when  it  was  completed  the  following  year  the 
total  cost  was  slightly  in  excess  of  $2,600.  Soon  after  its  completion 
the  few  Perry  county  prisoners  were  brought  from  the  Cumberland 
county  jail  and  confined  within  its  walls.  On  October  i,  1827,  John 
Hippie  was  awarded  a  contract  to  build  a  stone  wall  inclosing  the  jail 
yard  for  $950.     This  wall  was  completed  the  following  year. 

At  the  election  in  1824  Robert  Mitchell  and  Aljraham  Bower  suc- 
ceeded John  Maxwell  and  Robert  Elliott  on  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners and  on  April  11,  1825,  these  gentlemen,  with  their  colleague, 
Samuel  Linn,  advertised  that  they  would  receive  proposals  until  August 
30th  for  the  erection  of  a  brick  court-house  forty-five  feet  square  in 
the  town  of  New  Bloomfield  which  name  had  been  conferred  upon  the 
new  county  seat.  The  contract  was  awarded  to  John  Rice  in  September, 
but  later  it  was  decided  to  make  the  walls  higher  than  originally  intended 
and  also  add  a  cupola.  The  building  was  completed  late  in  the  year 
1826  at  a  cost  of  $4,240. 


1 86  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA   VALLEY 

Although  the  county  seat  was  located  at  New  Bloomfield  in  1824, 
the  business  of  the  county  was  transacted  at  Landisburg  for  nearly  three 
years  after  the  selection  of  the  location  for  a  permanent  seat  of  justice 
was  made  and  confirmed.  Sessions  of  the  court  were  held  there  in  a  log 
house  on  Carlisle  street,  which  was  rented  to  the  county  by  Allen  Nesbit 
for  fifty  dollars  a  year.  The  county  officers  kept  the  offices  in  their  re- 
spective residences.  In  March,  1827,  the  county  offices  were  removed 
to  the  new  court-house  in  New  Bloomfield  and  the  first  session  of  court 
ever  held  there  began  on  April  2,  1827. 

The  court-house  built  in  1825-26  continued  in  use,  w'ith  some  slight 
repairs,  until  1868,  when  the  grand  jury  and  the  court  authorized  the 
commissioners  to  make  such  alterations  and  additions  as  might  be  nec- 
essary to  accommodate  the  increasing  volume  of  county  business.  Luther 
M.  Simons,  an  architect  of  Harrisburg.  met  with  the  commissioners  on 
May  12,  1868,  when  he  was  employed  to  make  plans  for  the  rearrange- 
ment of  the  interior  and  an  addition  to  the  north  end  of  the  building. 
The  basement  of  the  Presbyterian  church  was  secured  for  the  offices  of 
the  register  and  prothonotary  while  the  alterations  were  under  way 
and  the  sessions  of  the  court  were  held  in  the  ]Methodist  church.  The 
entire  work,  including  the  tower  clock,  was  a  little  over  $25,000.  For 
the  purchase  of  the  clock  about  $300  was  subscribed  by  the  citizens. 
In  1892  further  changes  and  improvements  were  made  in  the  court- 
house at  a  cost  of  about  $20,000.  A  new  addition  was  added  to  the 
north  end,  in  which  the  offices  of  prothonotary  and  register  occupy  the 
first  floor,  the  jury  rooms  and  law  library  being  on  the  second  floor. 

With  repairs  at  various  times,  the  old  jail  erected  in  1825  continued 
to  serve  the  county  as  a  prison  for  more  than  three-quarters  of  a  cen- 
tury. Early  in  the  spring  of  1902  the  commissioners  advertised  that 
they  would  receive  proposals  until  noon  of  April  24,  1902,  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  new  jail  and  sheriff's  residence,  according  to  plans  and  specifi- 
cations made  by  Charles  M.  Robinson,  the  building  to  be  finished  by 
November  15,  1902.  When  the  bids  were  opened  it  was  found  that  the 
firm  of  Dean  &  Havens  were  the  lowest  bidders  and  the  contract  was 
made  with  them  for  $26,000.  Changes  in  the  plans  increased  the  cost 
to  over  $30,000  and  delayed  the  work  so  that  the  building  was  not  ready 
for  occupancy  until  about  January  i,  1903.  Perry  county  now  has  a 
modern  jail,  sanitary  in  its  arrangements  and  modern  in  every  particular. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  187 

At  the  time  Perry  county  was  created  the  Cumberland  county  poor- 
house  happened  to  fall  within  the  limits  of  the  new  county.  The  organic 
act  made  provision  for  this  condition  of  affairs  in  Section  19,  which  set 
forth  that  "the  poor-house  establishment  shall  be  conducted  as  hereto- 
fore for  the  term  of  four  years  from  and  after  the  passage  of  this  act, 
and  at  the  expiration  of  the  four  years  the  commissioners  of  Cumber- 
land county  shall  remove  their  paupers  into  their  own  county." 

The  poor-house  had  its  origin  on  April  12,  1810,  when  the  directors 
of  the  house  of  employment  of  Cumberland  county  purchased  of  Adam 
Bernheisel  112  acres  of  land  in  Tyrone  township  for  a  poor-farm.  The 
following  October  contracts  were  entered  into  with  Robert  Cree,  George 
Libey,  and  Thomas  Redding  for  the  erection  of  a  building  for  $3,980. 
As  already  stated,  this  poor-house  became  the  property  of  Perry  county 
in  1820,  but  the  Cumberland  county  paupers  were  kept  there  until  about 
1826.  The  old  brick  residence  erected  by  Adam  Bernheisel  in  1806  was 
used  as  a  dwelling  by  the  steward.  In  1839  the  poor-house  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  and  a  new  one  was  erected  by  Samuel  Shuman,  which 
continued  in  use  until  the  present  building  was  erected  in  187 1.  It  is  a 
four-story  brick  building  of  about  seventy  rooms,  with  brick  partitions 
and  iron  stairways,  being  made  as  nearly  fire-proof  as  possible,  and  cost 
about  $60,000.  George  Hackett  was  the  first  steward  after  the  poor- 
house  became  the  property  of  Perry  county  and  J.  B.  Trostle  was  the 
first  steward  in  the  present  building. 

In  accordance  with  a  resolution  adopted  by  the  Continental  Congress 
on  May  15,  1776,  the  provincial  council  the  following  month  divided  the 
several  counties  of  Pennsylvania  into  election  districts.  The  third  dis- 
trict of  Cumberland  county  was  made  to  consist  of  the  townships  of 
Tyrone,  Toboyne,  Rye,  Milford,  Greenwood,  Fermanagh,  Lack,  Armagh, 
and  Derry,  with  the  voting  place  at  the  house  of  Robert  Campbell,  in 
the  Tuscarora  valley.  This  district  as  thus  constituted  embraced  all  the 
present  counties  of  Mifflin,  Juniata,  and  Perry.  Robert  Campbell  lived 
on  Licking  creek,  in  what  is  now  Juniata  county,  and  some  of  the  inhabi- 
tants would  have  to  travel  from  thirty  to  forty  miles  to  cast  their  ballots 
on  election  day.  By  the  act  of  September  13,  1785,  Cumberland  was 
divided  into  four  districts  and  two  others  were  added  under  the  act  of 
September  10,  1787.  Other  changes  were  made  from  time  to  time  and 
when  Perry  county  was  erected  in  1820  election  districts  and  voting 


i88  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

places  were  designated  as  follows :  Toboyne  township,  at  Henry  Zim- 
merman's; Tyrone,  at  the  school  house  in  Landisburg;  Saville,  the  school 
house  at  North  Ickesburg';  Buffalo,  at  Frederick  Deal's  house;  East 
Greenwood,  at  Henry  Raymon's ;  West  Greenwood,  at  \\'.  Wood's  house, 
Tvlillcrtown;  Juniata,  also  at  Wood's;  Rye,  at  the  Elmon  school  house  in 
Petersburg.  As  new  townships  were  erected  each  was  made  to  consti- 
tute an  election  district,  and,  as  population  increased,  some  of  the  town- 
ships were  divided  into  two  or  more  election  districts.  The  incorpora- 
tion of  boroughs  likewise  led  to  the  establishment  of  new  districts. 

Like  most  of  the  counties  in  the  mountainous  regions  of  central 
Pennsylvania,  Perry  county  is  of  irregular  outline.  Its  greatest  length 
from  the  Susquehanna  river,  at  the  northeastern  corner,  to  the  Franklin 
county  line,  is  over  forty  miles,  and  its  average  width  is  about  fifteen 
miles.  The  county  is  bounded  on  the  north  and  northwest  by  the  county 
of  Juniata;  on  the  east  by  the  Susquehanna,  which  separates  it  from 
Dauphin  county;  on  the  southeast  by  the  summit  of  the  Blue  mountain, 
which  forms  the  boundary  line  between  it  and  Cumberland  county;  and 
on  the  west  by  the  county  of  Franklin.  Agriculture  is  the  leading  occu- 
pation of  the  people  and  some  of  the  finest  farms  in  the  Juniata  region 
are  to  be  found  in  Perry  county,  notably  in  Sherman's,  Kennedy's,  and 
the  Buffalo  valleys,  where  some  of  the  earliest  settlements  made  within 
the  district  included  in  this  history  were  established.  The  Juniata  river 
enters  the  county  from  the  west  near  ]\Iillerstown  and  flows  a  south- 
easterh'  course  to  Duncannon.  where  it  empties  into  the  Susquehanna. 
Perry  county  has  about  fifty-five  miles  of  railroad.  The  main  line  of 
the  Pennsylvania  follows  the  course  of  the  Juniata  river;  the  Susque- 
hanna River  &  \\'estern  runs  from  Duncannon  to  Bloomfield  Junction, 
where  it  connects  with  the  Newport  &  Sherman's  \"alley  railroad,  which 
runs  from  Newport  to  New  Germantown. 

Some  3-ears  ago  Silas  ^^'right,  at  one  time  superintendent  of  the 
Perry  county  public  schools,  compiled  a  list  of  the  county  ofiicials  from 
the  organization  of  the  county  to  1884.  That  list  is  here  reproduced  and 
to  it  is  added  the  civil  list  of  the  county  from  1884  to  1912,  as  taken 
from  the  public  records.  The  year  given  after  each  ofiicial's  name  is 
the  one  in  which  he  was  elected  or  entered  upon  his  duties. 

Sheriffs — Daniel  Stambaugh.  1820;  Jesse  Miller,  1823:  John  Hippie, 
1826 ;  Josiah  Roddy,  1829 :  William  Lackey.  1832  ;  M.  Stambaugh,  1835  ; 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  189 

Joseph  Shuler,  1S38;  Alexander  Magee,  1841 ;  Henry  Cooper,  1844; 
Hugh  Campbell,  1847;  Samuel  Huggins,  1850;  Benjamin  F.  Miller, 
1853;  James  Woods,  1856;  Benjamin  F.  Miller,  1859;  John  Sheibly, 
1862;  John  F.  Miller,  1865;  Jeremiah  Rinehart,  1868;  D.  M.  Rhinesmith, 
1871;  J.  W.  Williamson,  1874;  James  A.  Gray,  1877;  John  W.  Beers. 
1880;  Henry  C.  Shearer,  1883;  Jerome  B.  Lahr,  1886;  George  AI.  Ritter, 
1889;  Joseph  A.  Rice,  1892;  Charles  L.  Johnson,  1894;  William  LI. 
Kough,  1898;  Charles  L.  Johnson,  1901 ;  Abram  L.  Long,  1904;  E.  T. 
Charles,  1907  (reelected  in  19 10). 

Protlwnotarics—W'iWiam  B.  Mitchell.  1820;  Henry  Miller,  1821; 
William  B.  Mitchell,  1824;  George  Stroup,  1829;  John  Boden,  1835; 
Alexander  Topley,  1839;  Joseph  Miller,  1845;  Peter  Orwan,  1848  (died 
in  office  and  John  A.  Baker  appointed  for  the  remainder  of  the  term)  ; 
James  L.  Diven,  1851;  David  Mickey,  1857;  James  G.  Turbett,  i860; 
John  C.  Lindsey,  1863;  David  Mickey,  1864:  Charles  H.  Smiley,  1867; 
James  J.  Sponenberger.  1870;  David  Mickey,  1S76:  Alexander  Grosh, 
1882;  Jacob  E.  Bonsell,  1885  ;  Samuel  S.  Willard,  1891  :  J.  W.  Stephens, 
1897  (reelected  in  1900,  but  died  before  the  close  of  his  second  term 
and  his  son,  G.  Warren  Stephens,  was  appointed  to  the  vacancy),  G. 
Warren  Stephens,  1902  (reelected  in  1905  and  died  in  office,  Grafton 
Junkin  being  appointed)  ;  George  B.  Shull,  1906  (reelected  in  1909  and 
the  second  term  prolonged  one  year  by  constitutional  amendment  making 
all  county  officers  elected  for  four-year  terms). 

Registers  and  Recorders — Benjamin  Leas,  1820;  A.  Fulweiler, ; 

Jacob  Frith,  1824;  John  McKeehan,  1830;  Jeremiah  Madden;  1836; 
John  Souder,  1839;  George  W.  Crane,  1845:  Robert  Kelley,  185 1  ;  John 
Campbell,  1854;  George  Spohr.  1857;  Samuel  Roth,  i860;  William 
Grier,  1863;  Thomas  J.  Sheibly,  1869;  Joseph  S.  Smith,  1872;  George 
S.  Briner,  1875;  Josiah  \\'.  Rice,  1881 ;  Joseph  S.  Smith.  1884;  Nathan- 
iel Adams,  1887;  James  W.  McKee,  1893;  Jacob  C.  Lightner,  1899; 
Charles  L.  Darlington,  1905;  Charles  L.  De  Pugh,  191 1. 

Treasurers — William  Power,  1820;  R.  H.  McClelland,  1823;  George 
Stroup,  1827:  John  Wilson,  1830;  Robert  Kelley,  1832;  David  Lupfer, 
1835  ;  David  Deardorff,  1838;  William  Lackey,  1841  ;  Henry  Rice,  1844; 
David  Lupfer,  1847;  Jonas  Ickes,  1849;  George  Spohr.  1851  ;  Thomas 
Clark,  1853;  John  R."  Shuler.  1855;  H.  D.  Woodruff.  1857;  David  J. 
Rice,   1859;  John  H.   Sheibly,   1861 ;  James  McElheny,   1863;  Samuel 


I90  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Smith,  1865;  James  McElhen}-,  1867;  William  Tressler,  1869;  Isaac 
N.  Shatto,  1871 ;  George  W.  Spohr,  1873 ;  John  R.  Boden,  1875  ;  William 
Rice,  1878;  John  P.  Steel,  1881 ;  William  A.  Lightner,  1884;  Thomas 
J.  Clark,  1887;  John  W.  Kell,  1890;  L.  H.  C.  Flickinger,  1893;  H.  C. 
Gantt,  1896;  Wilson  D.  Messimer,  1899;  Lawrence  F.  Smith,  1902; 
D.  C.  Kell,  1905;  Lawrence  F.  Smith,  1908;  Robert  A.  McClm-e,  191 1. 
County  Commissioners — Upon  the  organization  of  the  county  in  1820 
a  full  board  of  three  commissioners  was  elected.  After  that,  with  few 
exceptions,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  list,  one  commissioner  was  elected  every 
year  until  the  adoption  of  the  state  constitution  of  1874,  since  which 
time  a  full  board  has  been  elected  every  three  years.  In  1820.  Thomas 
Adams,  Jacob  Huggins,  Robert  Mitchell;  1821,  Robert  Elliott;  1822, 
Samuel  Linn;  1823,  John  ilaxwell;  1826,  Abraham  Adams,  John  Owen, 
Abraham  Bower;  1827,  George  Mitchell;  1828,  Solomon  Bower;  1829, 
John  Junkin;  1830,  Jacob  Kumbler;  1831,  Alexander  Branyan;  1832, 
Frederick  Orwan;  1833,  Jacob  Kumler;  1834,  George  Beaver,  Andrew 
Shuman;  1835,  Cadwalader  Jones;  1836,  George  Beaver;  1837,  C. 
Wright,  J.  Zimmerman;  1838,  William  ^\'hite;  1839,  AI.  Donnelly; 
1840,  G.  Charles,  Sr. ;  1841,  Robert  Adams;  1S42,  Robert  Kelley;  1843, 
T.  P.  Cochran,  Isaac  Kirkpatrick;  1844,  \\"illiam  jNIeminger;  1845, 
Nicholas  Herich ;  1846,  John  Patterson;  1847,  George  Fitzell ;  184S, 
Thomas  Adams;  1849,  Jacob  Sheibly;  1850,  Fenlow  McCowen;  185 1, 
Charles  C.  Brandt;  1852,  George  Stroup;  1853,  John  Mej'ers;  1854, 
William  Power;  1855,  Jacob  Bixler;  1856,  Lawrence  Gross;  1857,  James 
B.  Cooper;  1858,  Thomas  Campbell;  1859.  Henry  P.  Grubb;  i860, 
Henry  Foulk ;  1861,  William  Rough;  1862,  William  Wright;  1863,  J. 
Kochenderfer ;  1864,  Perry  Kreamer;  1865,  John  Wright;  1866,  William 
Hays;  1867,  George  S.  Briner;  1868,  John  Stephens;  1869.  Zachariah 
Rice;  1870,  J.  A.  Lineweaver;  1871.  W.  B.  Stambaugh;  1872,  George 
W.  Bretz;  1S73,  William  Brooks;  1874.  Joseph  Ulsh;  1875.  J-  ^^'esley 
Gantt,  Solomon  Bower,  George  Campbell;  1878,  J.  Weslev  Gantt; 
1881,  Samuel  Bauer.  James  B.  Black,  Daniel  Sheaffer;  1884,  Ulrich  H. 
Rumbach.  Edward  Hull,  Aaron  Shreffer;  1887,  Silas  W.  Snyder,  John 
Martin,  George  W.  Burd;  1890,  William  B.  Gray,  William  Kumler,  Wil- 
son D.  Adams;  1893,  Josiah  Clay,  D.  P.  Lightner.  Isaiah  Mitchell;  1896, 
Aaron  Shrefifer,  A.  K.  Bryner,  William  B.  Gutshall;  1899,  Thomas  F. 
Martin,  James  Rhinesmith,  Jacob  Fleisher;    1902,   ^^"illiam   R.   Dunn, 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  191 

J.  K.  Adair,  Abraham  Bistline;  1905,  J.  B.  Jackson,  W.  H.  Leonard, 
John  S.  Bitner;  1908,  Clark  M.  Bower,  RlcClellan  Woods,  WiUiam  H. 
Smith;  191 1,  R.  R.  Beers,  Jonathan  Snyder,  William  H.  Lyter. 

Directors  of  the  Poor — This  office  was  established  in  Perry  county  in 
1839  and  since  then  it  has  been  lilled  as  follows:  John  Tressler,  1839; 
Samuel  Hench,  1840:  Jacob  Bixler,  1841;  John  Ritter,  1843;  Jacob 
Sheibley,  1844;  Charles  Wright,  1846;  Peter  Hench,  1847;  Robert 
Hackett,  1848;  Thomas  Black,  1849;  Moses  Uttley,  1850;  George  TitzeU, 
185 1 ;  Henry  Lackey,  1852;  Samuel  Arnold,  1853;  Samuel  Milligan, 
1854;  James  McClure,  1855;  William  Kerr,  1856;  Henry  Rhinesmith, 
1857;  Jacob  Bernheisel,  1858;  John  Gensler,  1859;  William  KeU,  i860; 
John  Stephens,  1861 ;  John  Ritter,  1862;  John  Weldon,  1863;  John 
Arnold,  1864;  Peter  Shaffer,  1865;  John  Dunn,  1866;  George  Hoo- 
baugh,  1867;  John  Flickmger,  1868;  John  Newcomer,  1869;  John  S. 
Ritter,  1870;  John  Patterson,  1871 ;  Samuel  Dunkelberger,  1872;  Wil- 
liam J.  Graham,  1873;  John  Swartz,  1874;  Abraham  Long,  1875;  Sam- 
uel Sigler,  1876;  Benjamin  F.  Becton,  1877;  George  C.  Snyder,  1879; 
Isaac  T.  Hollenbaugh,  1880;  Benjamin  Bistline,  1881 ;  Amos  S.  Green, 
1882;  John  Acker,  1883;  Joseph  Flickinger,  1884;  John  Garman,  1885; 
John  Wilt,  1886;  John  Freeland,  1887;  Jacob  W.  Wagner,  1888;  John 
Swartz,  1889;  John  Freeland,  1890;  George  I.  Rice,  1891 ;  Benjamin  H. 
Inhoff,  1892;  George  D.  Taylor,  1893;  John  Wilt,  1894:  Darius  J. 
Long,  1895;  George  D.  Taylor,  1896:  James  S.  Peck,  1897;  Darius  J. 
Long,  1898;  I.  B.  Free,  1899;  Z.  M.  Dock,  1900;  D.  M.  Hench,  1901; 
I.  B.  Free,  1902 ;  Z.  M.  Dock,  1903 ;  D.  M.  Hench,  1904 ;  James  A. 
Wright,  1905;  S.  S.  Orris,  1906;  Samuel  M.  Rice,  1907;  James  A. 
Wright,  1908;  W.  A.  Lightner,  1909;  S.  S.  Orris,  191 1. 

Surveyors — Prior  to  1850  this  office  was  filled  by  appointment.  Those 
who  have  been  elected  since  that  date  are  as  follows :  James  Woods, 
1850-53;  James  B.  Hackett,  1856;  Samuel  Arnold,  1859;  David  Rife, 
1862;  M.  B.  Hallman,  1865-68;  Samuel  H.  Galbraith,  1871 ;  James  Bell, 
1874;  David  Mitchell,  1877;  John  Rynard.  1880;  ^^^  J.  Stewart,  Jr., 
1883;  \^'illiam  A.  Meminger,  1886;  Silas  Wright,  1889;  James  A. 
Wright,  1892;  Silas  Wright,  1895  (reelected  in  1898,  1901,  and  1904)  ; 
J.  L.  L.  Buck,  1907;  Gard  L.  Palm,  191 1. 

Coroners — JNIichael  Steever,  1841  ;  Jonas  Ickes,  1845;  Jacob  Steel, 
1846;  John   McKenzie,    1847;   James   R.   Gilmore,    1848;   William   L. 


192  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA   VALLEY 

Stephens.  1851 ;  James  R.  Gilmore,  1853;  John  Bretz,  1854;  James  H. 
Case,  1855;  Philip  Ebert,  1859;  Joseph  Eby,  i860;  Patrick  McMorris, 
1861;  Jacob  M.  Miller,  1862;  B.  P.  Hooke,  1863;  James  Crawford, 
1864;  Samuel  Stiles,  1865;  James  B.  Eby,  1866;  Cyrus  M.  Clemson, 
1867;  Joseph  Swartz,  1870;  George  N.  Reuter,  1871  ;  George  \V.  Eppley, 
1872;  George  \V.  Zinn,  1873;  Samuel  Stiles,  1879;  Andrew  Traver, 
1882:  George  Schrom,  1885:  George  A.  Ickes,  1888:  J.  H.  Bleistein, 
1889;  C.  E.  Gregg,  1893;  W.  S.  Groninger,  1896;  W.  R.  Brothers,  1899; 
H.  M.  Smiley,  1901 ;  George  W.  Gault,  191 1. 

State  Senators — Jesse  Aliller,  1830;  William  B.  Anderson,  1S44; 
Robert  C.  Stewart.  1846;  Joseph  Bailey.  1851;  Henry  Fetter,  1857; 
C.  J.  T.  Alclntire,  1868;  Charles  H.  Smiley.  The  above  were  all  resi- 
dents of  Perry  county,  which  were  the  only  senators  included  in  ]\Ir. 
Wright's  list.  Since  1881  the  senators  who  have  represented  the  district 
of  which  Perry  county  forms  a  part  have  been  as  follows :  Charles  H. 
Smiley,  1884;  Joseph  RI.  Woods.  1888  (reelected  in  1892);  William 
Hertzler,  1896;  James  W.  AIcKee,  1900:  William  H.  ]\Ianbeck.  1904 
(served  two  terms)  ;  Franklin  Martin.  1912. 

Represcntatwcs — John  Fry,  1820;  F.  M.  Wadsworth.  1821 ;  Jacob 
Huggins.  1823;  Jesse  Miller.  1826;  \V.  M.  Power,  1828:  James  Black, 
1830:  John  Johnston,  1832;  F.  Rinehart.  1834:  \\'illiam  Clark.  1837; 
\\'illiam  B.  Anderson.  1838:  George  Beaver.  1842;  Thomas  O'Bryan, 
1843:  Eleazer  Owen,  1846;  John  Souder.  1847:  David  Stewart,  1850; 
David  Sheaver,  1852  ;  Thomas  Adams,  1854 :  Kirk  Haines,  1855  :  Charles 
C.  Brandt,  1857;  John  Power.  1859;  William  Lowther,  1861 ;  Jesse 
Kennedy,  1862;  John  A.  INIagee,  1863;  Charles  A.  Barnett.  1864:  G.  A. 
Shuman.  1865;  John  Shively.  1868:  D.  B.  3vlilliken,  1870:  Joseph  Shu- 
ler,  1872:  J.  H.  Sheibly.  1874:  G.  N.  Reuter.  1874:  D.  H.  Sheibly.  1876; 
M.  B.  Holman,  1878:  William  H.  Sponsler,  1882;  J.  R.  Flickinger.  1886; 
William  R.  Swartz.  1888:  Joseph  W.  Buckwalter.  1892:  J.  H.  Seidel, 
1896;  John  S.  Arnold,  1900:  Samuel  B.  Sheller.  Jr.,  1902;  John  D. 
Snyder.  1906:  W.  X.  Kahler.  1908:  Lewis  E.  Donnally.   1910-1912. 

Representatives  were  elected  annually  until  the  adoption  of  the  con- 
stitution of  1874.  after  which  they  have  been  elected  biennially.  \\'here 
a  number  of  years  elapse  between  the  dates  following  the  names,  it  is 
evidence  of  one  or  more  reelections.  as  in  the  cases  of  \\'.  H.  Sponsler, 
William  R.  Swartz.  and  J.  H.  Seidel.  each  of  whom  served  two  terms. 


CHAPTER    XI 

PERRY    COUNTY,    TOWNSHIPS,    BOROUGHS,    ETC. 

First  Townships  in  the  New  Purchase — Present  Townships — Buffalo — Carroll — Centre 
— Greenwood — Howe — Jackson — Juniata — Liverpool — Madison — Miller  —  Oliver  — 
Penn — Rye — Savilie — Spring — Toboyne — Tuscarora — Tyrone — Watts — Wheatrteld — • 
The  Principal  Villages — The  Nine  Boroughs — New  Bloomfield — Blain — Duncannon 
— Landisburg — Liverpool — JNIarysville — Millerstown — Newport — New  Buffalo — The 
Town  of  Shermansdale — Postoffices — Rural  Routes. 

COXCERXIXG  the  formation  of  townships  in  the  new  purchase 
by  the  Cumberland  county  authorities  on  October  23,  1754, 
the  records  of  the  court  contain  the  following  statement:  "And 
we  do  further  erect  the  settlements  called  Sherman's  valley  and  Bufolo's 
creek  into  a  separate  township  and  nominate  the  same  the  township  of 
Tyrone,  and  we  appoint  John  Scott  X.  Linton  to  act  as  Constable  therein 
for  the  remaining  part  of  the  current  year." 

Xo  definite  boundaries  were  fixed,  the  township  being  large  enough 
to  include  the  settlements  named.  Tyrone  township  as  thus  created 
included  all  that  portion  of  the  present  county  of  Perry  lying  west 
of  the  Juniata  river.  The  same  territory  now  comprehends  fifteen  town- 
ships and  there  are  five  east  of  the  river,  making  a  total  of  twenty  town- 
ships in  the  county,  viz :  Buffalo,  Carroll,  Centre,  Greenwood,  Howe, 
Jackson,  Juniata,  Liverpool,  Madison,  Miller,  Oliver,  Penn,  Rye,  Savilie, 
Spring,  Toboyne,  Tuscarora,  Tyrone,  Watts,  and  W'heatfield. 

Buffalo  township,  lying  between  the  Juniata  and  Susquehanna  rivers 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  was  formed  in  October,  1799,  when  a 
petition,  signed  by  numerous  citizens  of  Greenwood  township  living 
south  of  Buffalo  hill,  was  presented  to  the  court  asking  for  a  new  town- 
ship. At  that  time  Greenwood  township  embraced  all  that  part  of  the 
county  lying  between  the  Juniata  and  Susquehanna  rivers  and  the  peti- 
tion set  forth  "That  the  said  tract  of  country  was  nearly  equally  divided 
by  the  said  Buffalo  Hill,  which  begins  at  the  Juniata,  about  one  mile 

193 


194  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

below  Wild  Cat  Run,  and  continues  to  the  Susquehanna,  below  the  house 
of  David  Derickson,  and  praying  the  court  that  that  part  of  said  town- 
ship of  Greenwood  contained  between  the  rivers  Juniata  and  Susque- 
hanna and  lying  south  of  the  Buffalo  Hill  may  be  erected  into  a  new 
township." 

At  the  same  session  the  court  granted  the  petition  and  ordered  the 
division  as  requested,  that  part  north  of  Buffalo  Hill  to  remain  as 
Greenwood  and  the  portion  south  of  the  said  hill  to  be  known  as  Buffalo 
township.  Since  its  erection  the  township  has  been  much  reduced  in 
size  by  the  formation  of  Howe  and  \\'atts  townships.  It  is  bounded 
on  the  northwest  by  Greenwood  and  Liverpool  townships :  on  the  north- 
east and  east  by  the  Susquehanna  river,  which  separates  it  from  Dauphin 
county ;  on  the  south  by  Watts  township ;  and  on  the  west  by  Howe  to\\-n- 
ship  and  the  Juniata  river,  across  which  lies  the  township  of  Miller. 

Bucke's  valley  lies  between  Berry  mountain  on  the  north  and  the 
Half  Falls  hills  on  the  south.  It  extends  through  Howe  and  Buffalo 
townships  from  the  Juniata  to  the  Susquehanna  and  is  about  two  miles 
in  width.  Between  Berry  mountain  and  the  Buffalo  hill  is  a  cove  or 
basin  known  as  Hunter's  valley.  It  was  in  these  valleys  that  the  first 
settlements  were  made.  About  1773  Reuben  Earl,  Alartin  W'aln,  Samuel 
Rankin,  George  Albright,  and  John  Law  took  up  lands  along  the  Sus- 
quehanna, in  the  lower  end  of  Bucke's  ^-alley.  Farther  up  the  valley 
were  Jacob  Bucke,  Nicholas  Liddick,  and  Henry  Alspach,  who  located 
about  the  same  time.  John  Rutherford  had  taken  up  320  acres  near 
George  Albright's  place  some  five  years  before,  but  it  is  not  certain  that 
he  ever  lived  there.  Samuel  Rankin  subsequently  sold  his  land  and, 
after  several  changes  in  ownership,  it  became  the  property  of  William 
^Montgomery,  from  whom  Montgomery's  Ferry  takes  its  name.  Other 
pioneers  were  John  Purviance,  Zachariah  Spangler,  George  Fetterman, 
Andrew  Berryhill,  and  John  Taylor.  The  last  named  took  up  208  acres 
of  land  in  August,  1789,  near  the  Susquehanna,  at  the  end  of  the  Half 
Falls  hills.  It  is  said  that  the  notorious  renegade,  Simon  Girty,  once 
lived  for  some  time  in  a  cave  near  the  river,  on  the  Taylor  place,  while 
watching  the  white  people  who  had  taken  refuge  at  Fort  Halifax  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river  in  Dauphin  county.  The  place  is  still 
known  by  some  as  "Girty's  Notch." 

\A'hen   Perry  county  was  organized   in   1820,    the  first  assessment 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  195 

showed  eighty-three  freeholders,  seven  saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  and 
three  distilleries  in  what  is  now  Buffalo  township.  Michael  Krouse, 
William  Montgomery,  Thomas  Hulings,  and  Jacob  Baughman  were 
assessed  on  ferries,  and  Robert  Baskins'  heirs  on  a  fulling-mill. 

The  oldest  school  of  which  anything  can  be  learned  was  kept  in  a 
log  cabin  on  Richard  Beard's  place  at  the  base  of  the  Half  Falls  hills.  It 
was  built  early  in  the  nineteenth  century  and  some  of  the  early  teachers 
here  were  George  Baird,  James  Denniston,  Benjamin  Elliott,  and  Mary 
McMullen.  Some  years  later  a  school  house  was  built  at  Bucke's  grave- 
yard, where  Joseph  Foster,  David  Mitchell,  Ann  McGinnis,  and  Samuel 
Stephens  were  among  the  pioneer  teachers.  In  Hunter's  valley  was 
another  old  school  house,  a  rough  log  structure  with  a  slab  roof,  and 
here  was  kept  a  subscription  school  which  was  patronized  by  some  ten  or 
a  dozen  families  living  in  the  vicinity.  After  the  passage  of  the  act  of 
April,  1834,  by  which  the  state  inaugurated  the  public  school  system, 
a  meeting  of  citizens  of  Butfalo  township  was  held  on  December  6, 
1834,  when  a  vote  was  taken  on  the  question  of  accepting  or  rejecting 
the  new  system.  It  may  sound  strange  at  this  late  date  to  record  the  fact 
that  out  of  forty-seven  votes  cast  only  one  was  in  favor  of  the  law 
and  the  appropriations  it  carried  with  it.  That  vote  evidently  did  not 
prove  final,  for  in  1840  the  public  school  funds  of  the  township  were 
used  in  building  school  houses  and  no  teachers  were  employed  that  year. 
In  19 12  there  were  five  teachers  employed  in  the  township. 

Carroll  township,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  was  established 
in  1834.  In  April  of  that  year  there  was  presented  to  the  court  a  petition 
signed  by  168  citizens,  showing  that  they  labored  "under  great  incon- 
veniences for  want  of  a  new  township,  to  be  composed  as  follows,  that 
is  to  say :  Beginning  at  Sterrett's  Gap ;  thence  through  Rye  township, 
along  the  great  road  leading  to  Clark's  Ferry,  to  a  certain  field  of  Henry 
Sender's ;  thence  to  a  saw-mill  belonging  to  the  heirs  of  Robert  ^^'allace 
in  ^\'heatfield  township :  thence  along  the  great  road  leading  to  Bloom- 
field,  until  it  intersects  the  division  line  of  the  townships  of  Wheatfield 
and  Centre:  thence  along  the  said  line  to  a  corner  of  Centre  township; 
thence  along  said  line  to  a  point  from  whence  a  south  course  to  the 
Cumberland  line  at  Long's  Gap :  thence  down  the  Cumberland  line  to 
the  place  of  beginning." 

In   response   to   this   petition   the   court   appointed   John    Johnston, 


196  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY 

James  Black,  and  Robert  Elliott  as  viewers.  On  the  5th  of  November 
following  they  made  their  report,  recommending  the  formation  of  a 
new  township,  with  the  boundaries  as  described  by  the  petitioners.  The 
court  confirmed  the  report  and  the  new  township  was  named  Carroll. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Centre  township ;  on  the  east  by  Rye  and 
Wheatfield ;  on  the  south  by  Cumberland  county,  and  on  the  west  by 
Spring  township.  Sherman's  creek  flows  through  the  southwestern  part 
and  the  Blue  mountain  separates  the  township  from  Cumberland  county. 
Its  area  is  about  fifty  square  miles. 

Sterrett's  Gap,  mentioned  in  the  petition,  was  originally  known  as 
Croghan's  Gap,  who  passed  over  the  old  Indian  trail  leading  through 
it  as  early  as  1747.  In  the  spring  of  1795  two  brothers  named  Sterrett 
took  up  land  in  that  neighborhood  and  the  place  came  to  be  known  as 
Sterrett's  Gap.  A  tavern  was  kept  there  at  an  early  date  by  a  man 
named  Buller. 

The  land  office  began  issuing  warrants  for  lands  in  the  New  Purchase 
on  February  3,  1755,  and  on  that  day  William  Smiley  took  out  a  war- 
rant for  241  acres  lying  along  the  Sherman's  creek  and  including  part 
of  the  present  village  of  Shermansdale.  George  Smiley,  on  the  same 
day,  warranted  212  acres,  and  on  April  7,  1755,  William  West  warranted 
322  acres,  part  of  which  now  lies  in  Spring  township.  On  June  5,  1762, 
Francis  took  up  a  long,  narrow  tract  adjoining  that  of  William  West  and 
running  along  Sherman's  creek  for  nearly  a  mile.  These  men  were  the 
pioneers  of  Carroll  township.  The  Smileys  were  at  one  time  the  largest 
landowners  in  the  township  and  the  family  has  been  closely  identified 
with  the  history  of  Perry  county  from  the  beginning  of  settlement. 

About  1763  John  Rankin  located  at  Canderman's  gap  in  the  Kita- 
tinny  hills;  Israel  Jacobs  settled  on  Fishing  creek  in  1766,  and  two  years 
later  John  Jacobs  also  settled  in  that  locality.  Several  land  warrants 
were  issued  in  1767.  Among  them  was  one  for  150  acres  opposite 
William  Smiley's  to  John  Downey;  one  to  William  ]\IcKee  for  300 
acres;  one  to  Obediah  Garwood  for  125  acres,  and  one  to  Mary  Ramsey 
for  211  acres.  A  large  part  of  the  last  named  tract  is  now  in  ^^'heat- 
field  township.  Thomas  Smiley,  Robert  Bunting,  and  Rev.  William 
Thompson  were  among  those  who  took  up  lands  in  1768,  and  the  next 
year  came  Andrew  Boyd  and  James  Sharron,  after  whom  Sharron's  Gap 
was  named. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  197 

Second  Lieutenant  Samuel  \\'hittaker  and  Ensign  George  Smiley 
both  enlisted  in  Captain  Frederick  Watts's  company  that  entered  the 
Continental  army  in  1777.  Some  of  the  latter's  descendants  still  reside 
in  Perry  county. 

After  the  Revolution  the  settlement  of  the  township  was  more  rapid. 
Among  those  who  came  between  1776  and  1800  were  Andrew  Porter, 
Matthew  Henderson,  David  Lindsay,  the  Sterretts,  William  Wallace, 
Hugh  Ferguson,  John  and  Thomas  White,  Enoch  Lewis,  Stephen  Dun- 
can, John  Moore,  John  Lawshe,  Ephraim  Blain,  George  West,  and  Wil- 
liam Rogers.  All  the  lands  in  the  township  were  not  taken  up,  however, 
until  after  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  for  as  late  as  Sep- 
tember 2-j.  18 12,  Thomas  Mehaffie  received  a  warrant  for  120  acres  in 
the  western  part. 

Thomas  Sutch  came  into  Carroll  before  1775  and  took  up  land 
about  two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Shermansdale.  Some  time  between 
1775  and  1780  a  log  school  house  was  Iniilt  on  his  farm,  v\^hich  is  believed 
to  have  been  the  first  school  house  in  the  township.  In  the  early  days 
it  was  also  used  as  a  house  of  worship.  With  some  repairs  this  house 
was  used  until  1850,  when  a  new  school  house  took  its  place.  Another 
early  temple  of  education  was  the  "Smiley  school  house"  on  the  bank 
of  Sherman's  creek.  It  was  a  log  house,  with  a  clapboard  roof,  and 
took  its  name  from  the  owner  of  the  land  upon  which  it  was  situated. 
On  each  side  of  the  building  one  log  was  left  out  and  the  space  covered 
with  oiled  paper  to  admit  the  light,  window  glass  in  those  days  being 
a  luxury  that  few  could  afford.  In  19 12  there  were  ten  teachers  em- 
ployed in  the  public  schools  of  the  township. 

Centre  township  was  first  proposed  in  November,  1830,  when  a 
petition  came  before  the  Perry  county  court  asking  for  the  erection  of 
a  new  township  from  parts  of  Juniata,  Wheatfield,  Saville,  and  Tyrone. 
James  Black,  Robert  Elliott,  and  W'illiam  Wilson  were  appointed  view- 
ers, and,  on  April  7,  1831,  they  made  a  report  which  was  in  part  as 
follows :  "We  are  of  the  opinion  that  a  new  township  is  necessary  for 
the  convenience  of  the  inhabitants  and  that  the  prayer  of  the  petitioners 
ought  to  be  granted :  that  we  have  designated  in  the  same  plot  or  draft 
the  lines  or  boundaries  of  the  new  township  prepared  to  be  erected  by 
natural  boundaries  and  courses  and  distances,  all  of  which  will  fully 
appear  by  the  annexed  plot  or  draft." 


198  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

On  August  4,  183 1,  the  report  of  the  viewers  was  confirmed  by  the 
court  and  the  township  was  named  Centre,  because  of  its  central  location 
in  the  county.  Since  its  formation  it  has  been  reduced  by  the  erection 
of  Carroll,  Oliver,  Miller,  and  Spring  townships.  It  is  bounded  on  the 
northwest  by  the  townships  of  Saville  and  Juniata ;  on  the  east  by  Oliver 
and  Miller :  and  on  the  south  and  southeast  by  Carroll  and  Wheatfield. 
At  the  time  it  was  created  it  contained  361  taxpayers,  one  grist-mill  and 
four  saw-mills.  New  Bloomfield,  the  county  seat,  is  near  the  center  of 
the  township.  The  Susquehanna  River  &  \\'estern  railroad  runs  through 
the  southern  part  and  the  Newport  &  Sherman's  Valley  line  is  farther 
north. 

One  of  the  first  settlers,  if  not  the  first,  was  William  Stewart,  a 
native  of  Ireland,  who  came  from  his  native  land  with  his  parents  in 
1752.  The  following  year  he  settled  in  what  is  now  Centre  township, 
but  he,  along  with  other  scpiatters  on  the  Indian  lands,  was  driven  off 
by  the  natives  in  1756.  On  October  29,  1765,  he  received  a  warrant 
for  150  acres,  where  he  settled  in  1753,  which  land  was  a  part  of  the 
Bark  Tavern  tract.  This  tavern  was  first  kept  by  Jacob  Fritz  early  in 
the  nineteenth  century.  He  was  elected  register  and  recorder  in  1823 
and  was  succeeded  by  John  Fritz  as  "mine  host"  of  the  Bark  Tavern.  A 
new  tavern  was  built  in  1830. 

On  February  4,  1755,  James  Cowen  took  out  a  warrant  for  100  acres 
near  the  present  town  of  New  Bloomfield,  and  in  March  James  Dixon 
came  into  the  township.  Several  years  later  Cowen  took  up  a  tract  of 
294  acres,  on  which  the  western  part  of  New  Bloomfield  is  now  located. 
Settlement  was  seriously  retarded  by  the  French  and  Indian  war  and 
for  several  years  few  people  had  the  temerity  to  venture  far  out  on  the 
frontier  in  search  of  homes.  In  June,  1762,  John  Darlington  warranted 
345  acres  and  some  of  his  family  still  reside  in  the  county.  On  April 
2,  1763,  William  Power  took  up  125  acres  and  later  became  the  largest 
landowner  in  the  county.  Late  in  the  year  1766  James  McConaghy  was 
granted  a  tract  of  300  acres  in  the  northern  part  of  the  township  and 
south  of  his  land  James  McCoughly  took  up  107  acres.  ]\IcConaghy's 
land  later  came  into  the  possession  of  ^^^illiam  Power  and  upon  it  the 
old  Juniata  furnace  was  built  in  1808.  Robert  Hamilton  took  up  330 
acres  in  1767  and  the  same  year  the  names  of  Joseph  and  Michael  Mar- 
shall appear  on  the  assessment  rolls  of  Cumberland  county,  the  former 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  199 

holding  100  acres  and  the  latter  200,  though  they  did  not  obtain  title  to 
their  lands  until  May,  1769. 

In  1767  Thomas  Barnett,  a  native  of  Germany,  was  assessed  on  fifty 
acres  of  land  at  what  is  known  as  "The  Cove,"  in  the  present  township  of 
Penn.  In  17S5  he  took  out  a  warrant  for  400  acres  at  the  Cove  and 
also  one  for  480  acres  where  the  present  borough  of  New  Bloomfield 
now  stands.  He  died  on  April  14,  1814,  leaving  two  sons,  Frederick 
and  George.  The  former  took  the  tract  at  the  Cove  and  the  latter  the 
one  at  New  Bloomfield.  When  the  county  was  organized  in  1S20  and 
the  county  seat  was  located  on  his  farm  three  years  later,  he  donated  to 
the  county  the  land  upon  which  the  public  buildings  are  situated. 

Immediately  following  the  Revolution  there  was  a  tide  of  emigration 
"westward.  Among  those  who  came  into  Centre  township  were  the  Lup- 
fers,  Robert  Heirst,  Adam  Stack,  Anthony  Shatto,  John  Clouser,  Robert 
McClay,  Francis  McCown,  and  Matthew  McBride.  The  last  named  war- 
ranted some  land  about  1780  and  in  January,  1786,  purchased  150  acres 
of  Rev.  Hugh  Magill,  upon  which  he  established  a  blacksmith  shop  and 
distillery.  Later  he  put  in  a  tilt-hammer  and  began  the  manufacture  of 
sickles,  which  was  kept  up  until  about  1830. 

The  first  school  house  in  the  township  of  which  any  authentic  in- 
formation can  be  obtained  was  on  the  Barnett  farm,  not  far  from  the 
old  mill  race  and  on  the  road  to  Duncannon.  It  was  a  log  house  and 
was  used  for  school  purposes  until  about  1838,  when  a  new  building 
was  erected  in  New  Bloomfield.  In  1912  there  were  eight  public  schools 
in  the  township,  exclusive  of  those  in  New  Bloomfield. 

The  Juniata  furnace,  mentioned  above,  was  built  Ijy  William  Power 
and  David  Watts  in  1808.  It  was  purchased  by  Charles  Postlev  &  Son 
in  May,  1833,  together  with  3,500  acres  of  land,  and  the  name  was 
changed  to  the  Juniata  Iron  Works.  It  was  then  operated  by  different 
parties  until  1855,  when  a  cyclone  destroyed  the  office  and  foundry  and 
the  land  has  since  been  divided  into  farms.  In  April.  1837,  John  Ever- 
hart,  Jacob  Loy,  and  John  Kough  purchased  several  hundred  acres  of 
land  in  Centre  township,  including  the  tract  warranted  by  Anthony  Shat- 
to in  1797,  upon  which  they  erected  the  Perry  furnace  and  under  the 
firm  name  of  Loy,  Everhart  &  Company  began  the  manufacture  of  stoves 
and  hollow-ware.  They  failed  about  ten  years  later  and  the  furnace  was 
soon  afterward  abandoned. 


200  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Greenwood  township,  originally  a  part  of  Fermanagh,  was  erected  in 
July,  1767,  when  the  boundaries  were  defined  as  follows:  "Beginning  at 
McKee's  path  on  the  Susquehanna  river :  thence  down  the  said  river 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Juniata  river;  thence  up  the  Juniata  river  to  the 
mouth  of  Cockalanius ;  thence  up  the  same  to  the  crossing  of  ^IcKee's 
path ;  thence  by  the  said  path  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

McKee's  path  began  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mahantango  creek  and  ran 
southwest.  Along  the  line  of  this  path  was  subsequently  opened  a  public 
highway,  the  western  terminus  of  which  was  at  Thompsontown,  in 
Juniata  county.  The  township  was  named  for  Joseph  Greenwood,  who 
resided  in  the  territory  now  comprising  the  township  as  early  as  1763. 

The  assessment  rolls  for  1768,  the  year  following  the  erection  of  the 
township,  showed  the  following  landowners  :  Thomas  Allen,  Peter  Ash, 
Robert  Brightwell,  Nathaniel  Barber,  Henry  Bentley,  John  Bingam, 
Hawkins  Boon,  William  Collins.  Robert  Crane,  Craft  Coast,  Philip 
Donally,  Thomas  Desar,  Francis  Ellis.  Andrew  Every,  Richard  Irwin, 
William  English,  IMatthew  English,  David  English,  Joshua  Elder.  John 
Pfoutz,  Joseph  Greenwood,  John  George,  Marcus  Hewlin,  Philip  Hover, 
Abraham  Jones,  William  Loudon,  Everhart  Leedich,  Stophel  Munce, 
William  McLeavy,  James  McCoy,  John  ]\IcBride,  John  ^Montgomery, 
Alexander  McKee,  Edward  Physick,  Samuel  Purviance,  George  Ross, 
Jacob  Secrist,  John  Sturgeon,  Andrew  Ulsh.  and  Frederick  \Ya\\.  These 
men,  who  owned  over  8,000  acres  of  land,  were  the  pioneers  of  Green- 
wood township.  David  English  was  the  largest  landowner,  having  1,100 
acres. 

As  early  as  July  28,  1739,  Thomas  Kirton,  of  Speen,  England,  re- 
ceived a  grant  of  500  acres  of  land  located  within  the  limits  of  the 
present  Perry  county,  by  order  of  James  Tilghmam,  secretary  of  the  land 
office.  This  was  the  first  grant  of  land  in  the  county.  Fifty  acres  of 
this  land — a  tract  called  "The  Rose  in  the  Garden" — was  surveyed  in 
November,  1774,  for  John  Pfoutz,  who  had  become  the  assignee  of  Kir- 
ton. It  is  Pfoutz's  valley  where  John  Pfoutz  took  out  a  warrant  for 
329  acres  on  February  3,  1755.  On  the  same  day  he  also  took  out  a 
warrant  for  142  acres  in  Liverpool  township  along  the  river. 

Near  the  mouth  of  the  Cocolamus  creek  \\"illiam  Patterson  built 
a  mill  at  an  early  date  (exact  date  not  known).  The  earliest  mention  of 
this  mill  in  the  records  was  in  1771,  when  the  road  was  opened  from 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  201 

John  Gallagher's  to  Baskins'  ferry,  "past  William  Patterson's  mill." 
Jones  says  the  mill  was  destroyed  by  a  flood.  It  was  the  first  mill  in 
what  is  now  Greenwood  township.  William  Stawl  and  Frederick  Harter 
built  grist-mills  early  in  the  nineteenth  century,  and  about  the  same  time 
George  Hoffman  built  a  fulling  mill,  which  changed  owners  several  times 
but  continued  in  operation  until  about  1883. 

Among  the  old  inhabitants  of  the  township  was  Benjamin  Bonsall, 
a  veteran  of  the  Revolution,  who  died  in  1845,  aged  eighty-nine  years. 
He  was  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest  Pennsylvania  families,  the 
first  members  of  which  came  over  in  1682  and  settled  in  Delaware  county. 

The  first  account  of  the  schools  in  the  township  that  is  available  is 
that  contained  in  the  report  of  the  county  superintendent,  A.  R.  Height, 
in  1856,  when  he  reports  nine  schools  in  operation  and  a  tax  levied  for 
school  purposes  to  the  amount  of  $748.  It  is  known  that  a  school  house 
was  erected  near  St.  jMichael's  Lutheran  church  prior  to  1770,  but  noth- 
ing can  be  learned  of  its  early  history.  In  1912  there  were  seven  public 
schools. 

Several  changes  have  been  made  in  the  boundaries  of  Greenwood 
township  since  it  was  first  erected.  Buffalo  was  cut  off  in  1799  and 
Liverpool  was  taken  off  the  eastern  end  in  1823.  Part  of  Juniata  town- 
ship was  added  to  Greenwood  in  1854  and  five  years  later  the  township 
was  reduced  to  its  present  size  by  the  erection  of  Tuscarora.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Juniata  county :  on  the  east  by  Liverpool  town- 
ship; on  the  south  by  the  townships  of  Howe  and  Buffalo,  and  on  the 
west  by  the  Juniata  river,  which  separates  it  from  Oliver  and  Tuscarora 
townships.     Its  area  is  about  twenty-five  square  miles. 

Howe  township,  one  of  the  smallest  in  the  county,  was  originally  a 
part  of  Greenwood  and  later  of  Oliver.  It  \vas  erected  in  response  to 
a  petition  presented  to  the  court  in  i860,  when  viewers  were  appointed 
and  at  the  April  term  in  1861  the  court  took  action  as  follows :  "Decree 
of  the  Court,  in  the  matter  of  dividing  Oliver  township,  and  now,  6th  of 
April,  1861,  the  court  order  and  decree  that  the  township  of  Oliver  be 
divided  into  two  parts  agreeably  to  the  report  of  the  viewers.  That  part 
west  of  the  river  to  retain  the  name  of  Oliver  and  the  part  east  of  the 
river  to  be  called  Howe  township." 

Its  area  is  not  quite  ten  square  miles  and,  Ijeing  of  comparatively  mod- 
ern origin,  it  has  but  little  history.     It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Green- 


202  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNL\TA    VALLEY 

wood  township :  on  the  east  by  Buffalo ;  on  the  soutli  and  west  by  the 
Juniata  river,  whicli  separates  it  from  the  townships  of  Miller  and  Oliver. 
There  were  three  teachers  employed  in  the  public  schools  in  19 12. 

Robert  Brison  received  a  warrant  for  200  acres  of  land  in  this  town- 
ship dated  June  2,  1762,  and  the  next  day  William  McElroy  took  up 
277  acre's.  These  two  men  were  the  first  landowners  in  Howe.  Other 
early  settlers  were  John  Sturgeon,  Thomas  Elliott,  Samuel  Martin,  An- 
drew Lee,  Jacob  Awl,  John  Welch,  and  William  Howe,  for  whom  the 
township  was  named.  When  the  turnpike  was  built  through  the  town- 
ship and  the  stage  line  was  established  three  taverns  were  opened  in  what 
is  now  Howe  township,  viz :  Fahter's  Falls  Tavern,  Fetterman's  Ferry 
Tavern,  and  the  Red  Hill  Tavern.  The  last  named  was  a  famous  stop- 
ping place  when  the  old  Conestoga  wagons  were  engaged  in  hauling 
freight  westward.  Near  Fetterman's  Ferry  Tavern,  Jacob  Miller  built 
"a  two-story  potter  shop,  with  an  excellent  kiln  and  kiln-house,"  which 
he  sold  at  public  auction  on  June  3,  1857. 

Jackson  township,  situated  in  the  western  part  of  the  county,  was 
erected  in  1844,  the  greater  part  of  its  territory  being  taken  from  To- 
boyne.  At  the  November  term  in  1843  the  court  received  a  petition 
asking  for  the  formation  of  a  new  township.  Viewers  were  appointed 
and  on  August  8,  1844,  two  of  them — Jacob  Bernheisel  and  W.  B.  An- 
derson— reported  in  favor  of  granting  the  prayer  of  the  petitioners. 
They  recommended  the   following  boundaries   for  the  new  township : 

"Beginning  at  the  county  line  on  top  of  the  Tuscarora  mountain; 
thence  south  30  degrees  east,  nine  miles  one  hundred  and  twenty  perches 
through  mountain  land  of  Peter  Shively,  John  Baker,  Daniel  Kern, 
Jacob  Kreamer,  Peter  Smith,  John  Long,  and  others  to  the  Cumberland 
countv  line ;  thence  along  the  said  county  line  on  the  top  of  the  Blue 
mountain  to  the  Madison  township  line ;  thence  along  the  said  township 
line  to  the  top  of  the  Tuscarora  mountain  and  Juniata  county  line;  thence 
along  the  countv  line  and  on  top  of  Tuscarora  mountain  to  the  place  of 
beginning." 

As  thus  constituted  Jackson  township  extends  entirely  across  the 
county,  being  bounded  on  the  north  by  Juniata  county ;  on  the  east  by 
Madison  township :  on  the  south  by  Cumberland  county ;  and  on  the 
west  by  the  township  of  Toboyne.  Sherman's  creek  flows  eastward 
through  the  central  part  and  some  of  the  best  farms  in  the  county  are 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXL\TA    VALLEY  203 

located  in  the  valley  of  this  stream  in  Jackson  township,  where  the  soil 
is  of  the  strong,  limestone  variety  and  yields  large  crops.  Some  of  the 
earliest  settlements  in  Perry  county  were  made  in  this  part  of  the  valley 
due,  no  doubt,  to  the  fertility  of  the  soil.  A  number  of  land  warrants 
wei»  issued  in  1755,  several  of  them  on  the  first  day  the  land  otifice  was 
open  for  business,  indicating  that  prospective  settlers  were  on  the  alert 
to  acquire  title  to  the  lands.  Among  those  who  took  up  lands  in  that 
year  were  Robert  Pollock,  Ludwig  Laird,  and  William  Croncleton. 
James  and  Ross  Mitchell  also  located  in  the  township  before  the  close 
of  the  year. 

James,  Ephraim,  William,  and  Alexander  Blain  were  also  early  set- 
tlers and  gave  name  to  the  borough  of  Blain,  the  only  incorporated  town 
in  the  township.  William  Blain  was  captain  of  the  fourth  company  of 
Colonel  Frederick  Watts's  battalion  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  James 
Blain  was  second  lieutenant  in  the  same  company.  During  the  decade 
following  the  opening  of  the  land  office  in  1755,  a  large  number  of  set- 
tlers came  into  what  is  now  Jackson  township.  Among  them  were  Alex- 
ander Morrow,  William  Huston,  John  Montgomery,  Anthony  Morrison, 
John  Whiting,  Adam  Boal,  John  Watt,  William  Hartman,  John  Wilt, 
Andrew  Moore,  Peter  Grove,  James  Adams,  Thomas  Hamilton,  William 
Dobson,  the  Robinsons,  and  Allen  Xesbitt  who  was  an  ensign  in  Captain 
William  Blain's  company  in  the  Revolution.  Descendants  of  some  of 
these  pioneers  still  live  in  the  county  and  some  of  them  have  held  public 
positions  of  responsibility. 

Soon  after  the  Revolution  David  Diehl  and  Philip  Christian  took  out 
warrants  for  lands  in  Henry's  valley  "across  Bower's  mountain"  and 
Alexander  Rodgers  settled  south  of  Sherman's  creek  on  a  tract  of  274 
acres  in  1789.  A  large  steam  tannery  was  erected  in  Henry's  valley  in 
1850  by  L  J.  McFarland. 

One  of  the  earliest  school  houses  in  the  township  was  on  what  is 
known  as  Church  hill  in  the  borough  of  Blain.  It  was  built  before  the 
beginning  of  the  last  century  and  William  Smiley  was  one  of  the  early 
teachers.  As  early  as  1790  there  was  a  log  school  house  on  what  was 
later  the  Michael  Dromgold  farm  and  another  early  school  house  was  on 
George  Wentz's  place.  Dr.  J.  R.  Flickinger  tells  the  following  incident 
of  how  James  ]\IcCulloch,  one  of  the  early  teachers  in  the  last  named 
house,  manipulated  his  pupils  to  secure  a  drink  of  whiskey  for  himself. 


204  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

"A  wedding  party  was  expected  to  pass  the  school  house  on  a  certain 
day,  and  when  they  were  reported  to  be  coming  by  the  boy  stationed  on 
the  outside,  the  teacher  took  all  his  pupils  to  the  roadside  and  stationed 
them  in  a  row  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  and  when  the  wedding  party 
passed  through  the  ranks  the  teacher  required  them  to  make  a  profound 
obeisance  to  the  bride  and  groom.  The  result  happened  as  the  shrewd 
teacher  had  expected,  and  the  happy  groom  treated  him  to  the  contents 
of  his  flask." 

There  were  seven  public  schools  in  the  township  in  1912,  exclusive  of 
the  schools  in  the  borough  of  Blain.  The  school  houses  were  located  at 
Red  Corner,  Mount  Pleasant,  Red  Hill,  Adams"  Grove,  Bull  Run,  Man- 
assa  and  Cold  Spring. 

Juniata  township  is  located  near  the  center  of  the  county  and  is 
bounded  by  Tuscarora  on  the  north ;  Oliver  on  the  east ;  Centre  on  the 
south,  and  Saville  on  the  west.  It  is  about  seven  miles  in  length  from 
east  to  west  and  three  miles  wide,  having  an  area  of  about  twenty-five 
square  miles.  Buffalo  creek  runs  through  it  from  west  to  east  and  the 
Little  Buffalo  marks  the  southern  Ijorder.  The  records  of  the  January 
term  of  the  Alifflin  county  court  show  that  there  were  presented  "Two 
petitions  signed  by  a  great  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  Rye  township, 
setting  forth  that  they  labor  under  many  and  great  disadvantages  by 
reason  of  the  great  extent  of  such  township,  and  praying  the  court  that 
the  said  township  may  be  divided  by  a  line  along  the  top  of  ]Mahanoy 
Mountain  from  the  line  of  Tyrone  township  to  the  Juniata  river,"  etc., 
whereupon  the  court  ordered  the  division  and  conferred  the  name  of 
"Juniata"  on  the  upper  part,  or  the  new  township  thus  created. 

A  heavy  growth  of  timber  once  covered  this  part  of  Perry  county 
and  the  assessment  rolls  for  1795  show  that  there  were  then  twelve 
sawmills  in  the  township.  Other  industries  were  two  grist-mills,  two 
tan-yards  and  two  distilleries,  both  operated  by  George  Hildebrand. 
After  the  timber  was  cut  off  farms  were  developed.  The  most  promi- 
nent feature  is  Middle  ridge,  along  the  summit  of  which  runs  the 
"Ridge  Road"  from  Newport  westward  through  a  fine  agricultural  dis- 
trict. North  and  south  of  the  ridge  the  land  is  undulating,  but  most  of  it 
is  easy  of  cultivation.  The  small  streams  from  Middle  ridge  and  Hominy 
ridge  flow  into  the  Buffalo  and  those  south  of  Middle  ridge  to  the  Little 
Buffalo,  so  that  the  township  is  well  watered. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  205 

One  of  the  early  settlers  was  Alexander  Stephens,  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, who  came  to  this  country  as  a  soldier  under  General  Braddock  and 
after  the  disastrous  defeat  of  July,  1755.  came  to  Perry  county  and  in 
1766  settled  near  the  mouth  of  the  Juniata  river.  He  married  Catherine, 
daughter  of  James  Baskins,  of  Baskins'  ferry,  but  her  father  refused  to 
recognize  the  marriage  and  they  settled  about  five  miles  up  the  river. 
During  the  Revolutionary  war  Stephens  held  a  captain's  commission  in 
the  Continental  service  and  after  the  war  was  over  settled  near  Duncan- 
non.  His  son,  Andrew  B.  Stephens,  born  near  Duncannon  in  1783,  was 
the  father  of  Alexander  H.  Stephens,  who  became  vice-president  of  the 
Confederate  States  at  the  time  of  the  rebellion. 

The  little  hamlet  of  Alilford  (formerly  Jonestown)  stands  on  a  tract 
of  land  that  was  warranted  to  \\'illiam  Parkinson  on  June  17,  1755. 
Robert  Brown  came  from  England  about  1740  and  twenty  years  later 
settled  near  Newport.  On  April  6,  1763.  he  took  up  an  adjoining  tract 
of  land  on  Big  Buffalo  creek  and  the  same  year  Edward  Elliott  secured 
title  to  a  tract  of  land  where  ^Markelsville  now  stands.  These  men  were 
among  the  earliest  landowners  in  the  township.  On  April  3,  1769.  John 
Peden  took  up  a  tract  of  land  called  "Down  Patrick"'  adjoining  Elliott's 
place,  which  was  known  as  "Pretty  ]iIeadow."  In  his  will  dated  August 
i>  1775'  is  the  provision  that,  in  case  his  child  should  die,  his  wife, 
IMartha  Peden,  "shall  have  that  plantation  lying  in  Sherman's  alley, 
known  as  'Down  Patrick.'  she  to  pay  twenty  pounds  to  the  other  execu- 
tor, to  be  put  to  use  for  the  support  of  a  minister  in  Donegal." 

In  the  early  days  there  were  two  noted  taverns  in  what  is  now  Juniata" 
township.  The  White  Ball  Tavern  was  on  the  summit  of  Middle  ridge, 
on  the  road  from  Sunbury  to  Carlisle.  In  18 12  it  was  kept  by  Philip 
Clouser,  who  owned  a  large  body  of  land  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  The 
tavern  went  out  of  business  about  1835.  Farther  south,  on  the  Little 
Buffalo  creek,  was  the  Blue  Ball  Tavern,  kept  by  John  Koch.  Several 
shooting-matches  were  held  at  this  tavern  and  some  of  the  best  marks- 
men on  the  frontier  met  there  to  try  their  skill  with  the  rifle.  Messengers 
were  kept  stationed  here  in  18 12  ready  to  mount  and  carry  communica- 
tions to  the  army  at  Niagara.  A  horn  at  the  foot  of  ^liddle  ridge  sum- 
moned the  messengers  to  be  ready,  the  dispatches  were  then  forwarded 
to  Reider's  ferry,  where  the  ferry-boat  was  in  waiting  and  the  courier 
was  soon  on  his  wav  northward. 


2o6  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Liverpool  township,  which  occupies  the  northeastern  corner  of  Perry 
county,  was  formed  from  Greenwood  in  1823.  At  the  December  term 
of  court  in  1822  a  number  of  citizens  came  forward  with  a  petition  set- 
ting forth  that  "the  township  of  Greenwood  is  so  extensive  in  its  bound- 
aries that  it  is  inconvenient  for  the  inhabitants  thereof  to  attend  to  town- 
ship business,"  etc.  Meredith  Darhngton,  George  Elhott  and  George 
Monroe  were  appointed  viewers,  but  their  report,  if  one  was  made,  has 
disappeared.  No  further  mention  of  a  new  township  is  found  in  the  rec- 
ords until  September  5,  1823,  when  David  Dechert  (or  Deckard)  was 
appointed  constable  of  Liverpool  township.  This  was  the  first  township 
erected  within  the  limits  of  Perry  county  after  that  county  was  organ- 
ized. The  name  was  taken  from  the  town  of  Liverpool,  which  had  been 
founded  in  the  fall  of  1808. 

On  March  3,  1755,  John  Pfoutz  took  up  142  acres  in  a  long  narrow 
strip  lying  along  the  Susquehanna  river  at  the  end  of  Buffalo  mountain, 
a  little  below  the  present  borough  of  Liverpool.  A  few  years  later 
(1762)  Alexander  McKee  warranted  290  acres  just  south  of  Pfoutz. 
John  and  Jacol)  Huggins  located  north  of  Liverpool  and  John  Staily 
owned  the  land  on  which  the  borough  is  now  situated.  Other  earlv  or 
prominent  settlers  were  the  Earners,  David  Stewart,  Anthony  Rhoades, 
Thomas  Gallagher  and  Peter  Williamson. 

An  old  school  house,  long  known  as  the  "hen-roost,"  was  built  at  an 
early  date  and  was  the  oldest  school  house  in  the  township.  It  stood  near 
Christ's  Lutheran  church  on  the  road  leading  from  Liverpool  to  Millers- 
town,  about  four  miles  from  the  former.  Anotlier  school  house,  called 
Stollenberger's,  stood  near  Earner's  church.  Among  the  early  teachers 
in  these  two  houses  were  John  Buchanan,  John  C.  Lindsay,  who  served  a 
term  as  prothonotary.  George  Grubb  and  Abner  Knight.  In  1912  there 
were  seven  public  schools  in  the  township. 

About  1827  or  1828,  while  the  canal  was  under  construction,  the 
Catholics  purchased  a  small  plot  of  ground  from  John  Huggins,  west  of 
Liverpool,  upon  which  a  small  chapel  was  built  and  a  cemetery  estab- 
lished for  the  interment  of  any  Catholics  employed  on  the  canal. 

Liverpool  township  is  bounded  on  the  north  and  east  by  the  Susque- 
hanna river,  which  separates  it  from  Dauphin  county,  on  the  south  by 
Buffalo  township  and  on  the  west  by  Greenwood. 

Madison  township  was  formed  in  1836  from  territory  taken  from  the 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  207 

townships  of  Sa\'ille,  Toboyne  and  Tyrone.  In  response  to  a  petition 
signed  by  some  thirty  citizens,  the  court,  early  in  1835,  appointed  Samuel 
Darlington,  William  West  and  x\lexander  ]\Iagee  as  viewers.  Their  re- 
port was  presented  to  the  court  on  August  25,  1835,  with  the  word  "Ma- 
rion" marked  on  the  draft  of  the  new  township.  A  remonstrance  of  cer- 
tain interested  parties  caused  the  court  to  suspend  action  and  on  Novem- 
ber 5,  1835,  a  new  set  of  viewers  was  appointed.  On  July  8,  1836,  they 
reported  in  favor  of  new  township  with  the  following  boundaries  : 

"Beginning  at  the  line  between  Toboyne  and  Tyrone  townships,  near 
William  Miller's  mill ;  thence  adopting  the  line  made  by  the  first  view 
and  taking  in  a  small  part  of  Tyrone  and  a  part  of  Saville  township, 
north  30>>4°  due  west  seven  miles  and  fourteen  perches  to  a  pine  on 
the  Juniata  county  line  on  the  top  of  Tuscarora  oSIountain ;  thence 
along  said  line  and  along  the  top  of  said  mountain  to  Bailie's  Narrows; 
thence  by  Toboyne  township  31°  east  eight  miles  and  180  perches  to 
a  stone-heap  on  the  top  of  the  Blue  Mountain  on  the  Cumberland 
county  line  (throwing  off  a  space  of  one  mile  and  eighty-four  perches 
in  breadth  to  the  township  of  Toboyne,  more  than  had  been  done  by 
the  former  view )  ;  thence  along  said  line  to  the  intersection  of  the  line 
between  the  townships  of  Toboyne  and  Tyrone:  thence  along  the  said 
division  line  to  the  place  of  beginning,  which  is  hereby  designated  as 
a  new  township." 

The  clause  in  parentheses  brought  the  western  line  of  the  new  town- 
ship that  much  farther  east  than  the  one  recommended  by  the  first  view, 
thus  removing  the  objections  of  the  remonstrators.  The  name  ]\Iarion 
was  also  suggested  by  the  second  set  of  viewers,  but  the  death  of  ex- 
President  ]\Iadison  having  occurred  the  preceding  month  the  court, 
upon  confirming  the  report  on  August  i,  1836,  changed  the  name  to 
Madison.  It  extends  from  the  Juniata  county  line  on  the  north  to  Cum- 
berland county  on  the  south :  is  bounded  by  the  townships  of  Saville  and 
Tyrone  on  the  east  and  Jackson  on  the  west.  Its  area  is  about  sixty 
square  miles. 

Within  the  limits  of  this  township  stood  the  old  Robison  fort,  built 
by  the  Robison  brothers  about  1755.  It  was  on  the  line  of  the  traders' 
path  from  Harris'  ferry  westward  and  was  a  rallying  point  for  the  set- 
tlers in  time  of  danger.  Besides  the  Robisons,  other  early  settlers 
were  Alexander  Roddy,  who  was  a  squatter  upon  the  Indian  lands  before 
the  purchase  of  1754.  James  Thoni,  the  Woolcombers,  who  were  massa- 


2o8  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUMATA    VALLEY 

cred  by  the  Indians  in  1756.  William  Officer,  Roger  Clarke,  John  Byers, 
Hugh  Alexander,  James  Wilson,  John  Hamilton,  Alexander  Logan,  John 
and  Robert  Potts  and  William  Anderson,  from  whom  the  village  of  An- 
dersonburg  took  its  name. 

Andersonburg  was  formerly  known  as  Zimmerman  from  the  old 
Zimmerman  hotel  there.  The  first  store  in  the  village  was  in  an  old 
log  building  called  the  "Barracks."  William  B.  Anderson  was  the  first 
merchant  and  was  succeeded  by  Bryner  &  Ernest.  Andersonburg  is  a 
station  on  the  Newport  &  Sherman's  Valley  railroad  and  in  19 10  reported 
a  population  of  180.  Farther  northeast  on  the  same  line  of  railway  is 
Cisna  Run  with  a  population  of  95.  It  was  formerly  known  as  Cedar 
Spring.  John  Reed  started  a  store  at  this  point  in  1830.  Cisna  Run 
once  aspired  to  be  the  county  seat  of  Perry  county. 

In  Liberty  valley,  in  the  mirthern  part  of  the  township,  was  Thomas 
jNIitchell's  sleeping  place,  mentioned  by  John  Harris  in  his  table  of  dis- 
tances from  Harrisburg  to  Logstowai  in  1754.  ^Mitchell  was  an  Indian 
trader  as  early  as  1748,  and  is  supposed  to  have  had  a  cabin  at  this  place 
for  the  accommodation  of  traders  and  travelers. 

School  houses  were  built  at  Sandy  Hill.  Centre  and  Clark's  at  an 
early  date.  The  exact  location  of  the  Sandy  Hill  house  cannot  be  ascer- 
tained with  certainty,  nor  can  the  date  when  it  was  built,  Ijut  it  was 
erected  before  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  and  stood  some- 
where near  the  "old  camp  ground."  Jonas  Thatcher  \vas  one  of  the  early 
teachers.  The  school  house  at  Clark's  also  has  a  history  running  so  far 
back  that  it  is  veiled  in  obscurity.  In  19 12  there  were  twelve  public 
schools  in  Madison  township. 

Postoffices  were  established  at  Kistler,  at  the  intersection  of  the  Ickes- 
burg  and  Blain  and  Bealtown  roads,  and  at  Bixler's  mills  in  1884,  but 
with  the  introduction  of  the  rural  free  delivery  both  were  discontinued. 
Kistler  is  a  village  of  eighty  inhabitants  in  1910  and  Bixler  reported  a 
population  of  180. 

Miller  is  a  small  township  occupying  the  great  bend  in  the  Juniata 
river,  which  forms  the  eastern  boundary.  On  the  north  it  is  bounded  by 
Oliver  township  and  on  the  south  by  Wheatfield.  Centre  forms  a  small 
portion  of  the  boundary  on  the  west.  It  was  created  by  an  act  of  the 
legislature  on  March  11,  1852,  and  was  named  after  David  ]Miller 
by  Joseph  Bailey. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  209 

The  earliest  settlers  in  this  township  were  John  Gilmore,  Andrew 
Stephens,  Robert  Sturgeon,  John  Anderson,  William  Ramsey,  Samuel 
Martin,  Samuel  Galbraith,  Robert  and  John  Woodburn.  The  Wood- 
burns  located  at  the  north  foot  of  Dick's  hill,  where  they  established  the 
old  Woodburn  tavern,  which  was  a  famous  stopping  place  on  the  road 
from  Clark's  ferry  westward. 

In  1912  there  were  three  public  schools  in  Aliller  township — Pine 
Grove,  Mahanoy  and  Bailey's.  The  last  named  is  at  the  station  of 
Bailey,  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  which  runs  along  the  eastern  border 
of  the  township.  It  was  named  for  Joseph  Bailey,  a  prominent  citizen 
and  at  one  time  the  owner  of  the  Caroline  furnace,  which  was  erected 
by  John  D.  Creigh  in  1836. 

Oliver  township,  lying  along  the  western  side  of  the  Juniata  river,  ex- 
tends from  Tuscarora  on  the  north  to  Miller  on  the  south  and  is  bounded 
on  the  west  by  the  townships  of  Juniata  and  Centre.  .\t  the  January 
term  of  court  in  1836  a  petition  was  presented  asking  for  a  new  town- 
ship to  be  formed  from  territory  taken  from  Buffalo,  Juniata  and  Centre, 
and  recommending  the  following  boundaries : 

"Beginning  at  the  Juniata  river  at  the  line  between  Centre  and 
Wheatfield  townships;  thence  across  the  Juniata  river  at  the  line  to 
Buffalo  township;  thence  up  the  said  river  to  the  house  of  James 
Shield,  including  the  same;  thence  in  a  northern  course  to  Thomas 
Boyd's,  including  his  house;  along  the  line  of  said  Boyd  and  Swift 
north,  till  they  intersect  the  line  between  Buffalo  and  Greenwood  town- 
ships; thence  along  the  said  line  to  the  Juniata  river;  thence  up  the 
same  to  the  Rope  Ferry ;  thence  across  the  Juniata  river  to  the  house 
of  Abraham  Reider,  including  the  same;  thence  a  through  course  to 
the  house  of  Samuel  Murray,  including  the  same;  thence  a  straight 
line  to  the  house  of  Peter  Wertz,  including  the  same ;  thence  a  straight 
southerly  line  to  the  house  of  John  Bressler  and  including  the  same; 
thence  a  south  course  to  the  top  of  Limestone  Ridge  in  Centre  town- 
ship; thence  an  easterly  course  to  a  saw-mill  known  as  'Stengle's  old 
saw-miir ;  thence  the  same  course  till  it  intersects  the  line  between 
Wheatfield  and  Penn  townships;  thence  along  s.-^id  line  to  the  place 
of  beginning." 

The  report  of  the  viewers  was  approved  by  the  court  on  November 
II,  1837,  and  the  township  was  then  named  Oliver,  after  Oliver  Hazard 
Perrv,  tlie  naval  hero  in  the  battle  on  Lake  Erie  in  the  War  of  1812. 


2IO  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Among  those  who  entered  lands  in  the  township  prior  to  iSoo  were 
\\'illiam  DarHngton,  John  and  David  Enghsh,  William  West  and  a  few 
others.  One  of  David  English's  warrants  called  for  fifty-two  acres  on 
the  Juniata  river  "for  a  fishery."  He  also  took  out  warrants  for  the  land 
upon  which  the  borough  of  Newport  now  stands.  Some  years  before 
the  Revolution  John  Mitchell  came  from  Ireland  to  Lancaster  county. 
His  departure  from  his  native  land  was  rather  sudden,  owing  to  the  fact 
that,  in  a  moment  of  passion,  he  "caned"  a  member  of  Parliament  for 
what  he  considered  a  violation  of  a  pledge.  In  1780  he  held  the  rank 
of  colonel  in  the  Cumberland  county  militia.  He  died  at  an  advanced  age 
and  his  remains  were  buried  in  the  old  Poplar  Hill  cemetery  in  Oliver 
township. 

The  first  school  in  the  township  was  taught  in  1812  by  Josiah  English 
in  a  small  house  on  what  was  afterward  known  as  the  Josiah  Fickes  place. 
The  first  public  school  house  was  erected  at  Mount  Fairview  in  1839.  In 
1912  there  were  six  school  districts. 

The  Pennsylvania  railroad  follows  the  Juniata  river  along  the  east- 
ern border  and  the  Newport  &  Sherman's  A^alley  railroad  runs  westward,- 
these  two  lines  affording  ample  transportation  to  all  sections  of  the 
township. 

Penn  township,  near  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  county,  is  triangu- 
lar in  form  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  ^^'heatfield  township :  on  the 
east  by  the  Juniata  and  Susquehanna  rivers :  on  the  south  by  Rye  town- 
ship, and  a  little  of  the  western  boundary  at  the  apex  of  the  triangle  is 
formed  bv  Carroll.  It  was  taken  from  Rye  by  order  of  the  court  in 
1826.  The  first  settlement  made  in  this  part  of  Perry  county  was  that 
made  by  John  Harris  about  1732  and  was  located  near  the  present  rail- 
road station  called  Aqueduct.  About  1753  several  persons  came  up 
the  Susquehanna  and  settled  along  the  Juniata  river  on  both  sides,  and 
on  Duncan's  island,  which  now  forms  part  of  ^^'atts  township.  Among 
those  who  located  in  Penn  township  were  James  Baskins,  Cornelius  Ache- 
son,  and  Francis  Ellis.  James  Baskins  was  the  founder  of  the  historic 
Baskins'  ferry  at  the  foot  of  Haldeman  island,  about  which  the  settle- 
ment known  as  Baskinsville  grew  up  in  course  of  time.  Samuel  Goudy 
warranted  215  acres  of  land  in  August,  1766,  but  afterward  sold  it  to 
John  Clark,  who  established  Clark's  ferry  and  also  built  a  tavern  there. 
It  was  a  fording  place  called  by  the  Indians  Oueenaskowakee  and  was 


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HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  211 

on  the  old  stage  road.  The  tavern  became  a  well-known  stopping  place 
after  the  Juniata  Stage  Company  began  operations  in  1808. 

Above  James  Baskins'  place  were  the  Barren  Hills,  where  William 
Baskins  took  up  300  acres  in  1766.  Other  early  settlers  were  Isaac  Jones, 
James  Dugan,  Richard  Coulter,  Benjamin  Abraham,  Andrew  Berryhill, 
Robert  Nicholson,  David  Hackett,  Joseph  Watkins,  William  Clark,  David 
Stout,  and  a  number  of  others,  all  of  whom  came  before  the  Revolution. 
After  that  war  came  Alexander  Rutherford,  John  Shearman,  Joseph 
Kirkpatrick,  Michael  Simpson,  David  and  William  Ogle,  John  and  Adam 
Fry,  John  Gresh,  William  McQuaid,  and  Adam  Harbison. 

An  act  of  the  legislature  in  1797  designated  the  Union  school  house 
at  Petersburg  (now  Duncannon)  as  a  voting  place.  This  is  the  earliest 
authentic  mention  of  a  school  house  in  Penn  township.  It  was  used 
for  school  purposes  until  about  1840,  when  it  was  torn  down  and  a  frame 
building  erected  in  its  place.  Another  early  school  house  was  the  one 
near  Young's  mill,  where  Joseph  Mclntire  was  one  of  the  pioneer 
teachers.  Exclusive  of  the  borough  of  Duncannon  there  were  ten 
teachers  employed  in  the  public  schools  in  1912.  Four  of  these  were  in 
the  Lower  Duncannon  high  school  and  six  were  in  the  district  schools. 

Before  the  Revolution  James  Patton  built  a  dam  across  Sherman's 
creek  near  its  mouth  to  furnish  power  for  his  saw-mill.  Complaint  was 
made  that  this  dam  was  an  obstruction  to  navigation,  and,  on  February 
6,  1773,  the  legislature  passed  an  act  requiring  him  "to  make  a  space 
twenty  feet  in  breadth  near  the  middle  of  the  dam  and  two  feet  lower 
than  the  rest,  and  lay  a  platform  of  stone  and  timber  at  least  six  feet 
down  the  stream,  to  form  the  slope  for  the  easy  and  safe  passage  of 
boats,  rafts,  or  canoes."  As  Sherman's  creek  is  not  now  considered 
navigable,  this  old  law  is  something  of  a  curiosity. 

Rye  township  occupies  the  extreme  southeastern  corner  of  the  county 
and  was  erected  in  1766.  A  petition  came  before  the  Cumberland 
county  court  in  January,  1766,  asking  that  the  lower  end  of  Tyrone 
township  be  cut  off  and  a  new  one  erected  therein.  At  the  March  term 
following  the  court  issued  the  following  order :  "Upon  petition  of  Sev- 
erall  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Tyrone  Township  to  this  Court,  Setting  forth 
that  Said  Township  is  too  large,  it  is  adjudged  and  ordered  by  the  said 
Court,  that  from  the  North  Mountain  to  the  Tuskarora  ^Mountain  by  Mr. 
West's,  and   from  that  to  Darlington's  and  to   Strack  the   Tuskarora 


212  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNL\TA    VALLEY 

about  William  Xoble's  be  the  line,  and  the  name  of  the  Lower  be  called 
Rye  Township." 

The  assessment  rolls  for  1766,  the  }ear  the  township  was  erected, 
show  sixty  landowners,  holding  about  7,000  acres.  Samuel  Hunter  and 
AVilliam  Richardson  were  assessed  on  saw-mills.  In  1802  there  were 
twelve  saw-mills,  four  grist-mills,  and  one  distillery.  The  original  area 
has  been  greatly  reduced  by  the  formation  of  Juniata,  Wheatfield,  Penn, 
Carroll,  Centre,  and  Miller  townships,  leaving  the  Rye  township  of  the 
present  day  a  narrow  strip  lying  between  Cove  mountain  and  the  Cum- 
berland county  line  and  extending  from  the  Susquehanna  river  westward 
to  Carroll  township.     Its  area  is  about  twenty-four  scjuare  miles. 

On  September  8,  1755.  Samuel  Hunter  took  a  warrant  for  a  large 
tract  of  land  at  the  mouth  of  Fishing  creek,  where  Marysville  is  now 
located.  This  tract  extended  about  two  miles  along  the  Susquehanna  and 
about  three  miles  up  the  Fishing  creek  valley.  At  the  mouth  of  the 
creek  he  put  up  a  saw-mill  and  subsequently  entered  other  lands  adjoin- 
ing his  first  tract.  He  was  the  first  man  to  locate  land  within  the  present 
limits  of  the  township.  Settlement  was  slow  for  several  years.  After 
the  Revolution  came  Robert  Wallace,  Thomas  Buchanan,  William  Mc- 
Farlane.  Robert  Whitehill.  David  Ralston,  Henry  Robison,  William 
Davis,  Robert  Allen,  John  Nicholson,  Nicholas  Wolfe  and  his  son-in- 
law  John  Bowman,  and  a  number  of  others,  most  of  whom  settled  along 
the  river  or  in  the  Fishing  creek  valley.  Wolfe  and  Bowman  were 
interested  in  building  mills.  As  early  as  1798  Bowman  had  a  saw-mill, 
grist-mill,  and  carding  machine  on  Fishing  creek,  just  above  Hunter's 
lands.     Later  a  distillery  was  established  in  connection. 

The  first  school  house  in  the  township  was  on  the  old  Valley  road 
down  Fishing  creek.  It  was  built  before  1800  and,  like  most  of  tlje 
pioneer  school  houses,  was  of  logs,  rudely  furnished  and  poorly  lighted. 
Another  old  school  house  was  about  fourteen  miles  above  Marysville 
on  the  old  road.  Isaac  Gray,  Samuel  Coble,  and  Barbara  Miller  were 
among  the  early  teachers.  Barabara  Miller  was  a  widow  and  was  the 
mother  of  Stephen  IMiller,  who  became  governor  of  Minnesota.  In  1912 
there  were  five  school  districts. 

On  the  Susquehanna  river,  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  township,  is 
the  borough  of  Marysville,  the  second  largest  town  in  Perry  county. 
About  six  miles  west  of  Marysville  is  the  little  hamlet  of  Keystone,  and 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  213 

four  miles  west  of  Keystone  is  Grier's  Point.  Both  are  small  places  and 
the  only  villages  in  the  township. 

Saville  township  was  taken  from  Tyrone  in  1817,  three  years  before 
Perry  county  was  erected.  John  Darlington  and  David  Grove  were  ap- 
pointed viewers  at  the  April  term  of  court  in  that  year.  They  made 
their  report  in  June,  recommending  the  erection  of  a  new  township,  and 
that  "the  limestone  ridge,  along  which  the  division  line  runs  the  whole 
distance  from  east  to  west,  is  the  natural  and  proper  division  of  said 
township."  The  report  was  confirmed  at  the  November  term,  when 
the  name  of  Saville  was  given  to  the  new  township.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  a  portion  of  the  west  side,  which  became  a  part  of  Madison  in 
1836,  Saville  has  retained  its  original  territory.  It  is  about  seven  miles 
in  length  from  east  to  west  and  six  miles  wide,  containing  about  forty 
square  miles.     The  principal  stream  is  Buffalo  creek. 

Among  the  early  settlers  were  Thomas  Elliott,  William  Waddell, 
Robert  and  James  Irvine,  David  McClure,  Thomas  Patton,  David  Sam- 
ple, William  McMeen,  Colonel  Thomas  Hartley,  Robert  Kearney,  Alex- 
ander Sanderson,  Peter  Hartman,  Zachariah  Rice,  William  Linn,  Patrick 
Duffield,  Frederick  Shull,  Michael  Loy,  John  Black,  William  Marshall, 
the  Weiblys,  Kinkeads,  Shumans,  and  some  others,  all  of  whom  came 
before  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Colonel  Thomas  Hartley  was 
an  officer  in  the  Continental  army  in  the  Revolution  and  after  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  United  States  government  was  a  member  of  Congress 
for  twelve  years.  For  his  military  services  he  received  a  large  grant  of 
land  in  Union  county,  but  in  the  spring  of  1786  he  became  a  landowner 
in  Saville  township. 

In  1820,  the  year  Perry  county  was  created,  the  assessment  showed 
that  there  were  194  taxpayers  in  Saville.  There  were  then  four  stores, 
five  saw-mills,  five  grist-mills,  five  distilleries,  one  fulling  mill,  seven 
blacksmith  shops,  four  wagon  makers,  one  tan-yard,  and  three  cooper 
shops  in  the  township  and  other  trades  were  also  represented. 

The  first  school  house  was  near  the  old  Ickes  mill  and  was  in  exist- 
ence as  early  as  1785.  John  Bolton,  Thomas  Meldrum,  George  Wil- 
liams, and  Thomas  Stevenson  were  some  of  the  early  teachers.  A  hotly 
contested  election  was  held  in  1835  to  decide  whether  the  township 
should  adopt  the  public  school  system.  The  system  was  accepted,  but 
the  next  year  the  people  voted  against  it.  when  the  directors  appealed  to 


214  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

the  state  to  know  whether  a  tax  levied  for  school  purposes  could  be  col- 
lected. It  was  decided  by  the  state  department  that  a  meeting  of  the 
people  had  no  power,  under  the  school  laws,  to  control  the  action  of  a 
board  of  directors.     In  1912  there  were  twelve  school  districts. 

The  village  of  Ickesburg,  a  little  north  of  the  center  of  the  town- 
ship, was  laid  out  in  1818  by  Nicholas  Ickes,  who  had  a  saw-mill  and 
distillery  there.  A  postoffice  was  established  there  in  1820,  with  William 
Elliott  as  postmaster.  The  next  year  a  tannery  was  built  by  Taylor  & 
Parshall,  and  a  foundry  was  established  in  1835.  Edward  Miller  was 
one  of  the  pioneer  hotel  keepers.  The  population  of  the  village  in  19 10 
was  430.  Eschol,  a  small  village  near  the  southeast  corner,  grew  up 
around  the  old  Shuman  church  and  mill.  A  postoffice  was  established 
at  the  upper  Shuman  mill  at  an  early  date,  but  was  removed  to  the  village 
and  named  Eschol,  with  John  D.  Baker  as  postmaster.  In  1912  the 
population  was  95. 

Spring  township,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  was  established 
in  1849.  The  records  concerning  its  erection  are  not  to  be  found,  but 
from  the  best  authority  at  hand  it  appears  that  a  petition  came  before 
the  court  in  January,  1848,  and  James  Black,  Richard  Adams,  and 
William  B.  Anderson  were  appointed  viewers.  Adams  and  Black  made 
a  report  in  favor  of  the  division  of  Tyrone  and  suggested  "Lawrence" 
as  a  name  for  the  new  township.  In  August  the  report  was  confirmed, 
notwithstanding  some  200  citizens  remonstrated,  and  the  township  was 
named  Spring.  In  November  Black  and  Adams  were  again  appointed 
by  the  court  "to  view  and  alter  the  line  between  Spring  and  Centre 
townships,  so  as  to  include  Abraham  Kistler  and  David  Stambaugh  in 
Spring  township,"  and  in  April,  1849,  they  reported  that  such  change 
was  necessary,  which  was  confirmed  by  the  court.  The  area  is  about 
thirty  square  miles.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Saville ;  on  the  east 
by  Centre  and  Carroll;  on  the  south  by  Cumberland  county,  and  on  the 
west  by  the  township  of  Tyrone.  Sherman's  creek  flows  through  the 
central  part  and  the  Newport  &  Sherman's  Valley  railroad  crosses  the 
northern  portion. 

In  1750,  when  the  provincial  authorities  ordered  the  expulsion  of 
squatters  from  the  Indian  lands.  Secretary  Peters  reported  that  he 
found  on  Sherman's  creek,  "about  six  miles  over  the  Blue  Mountain, 
James  Parker,  Thomas  Parker,  Owen  ?\IcKeib,  John  ]\IcClare,  Richard 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  215 

Kirkpatrick,  James  Murray,  John  Scott,  Henry  Gass,  John  Cowan, 
Simon  Girtee  (Girty),  and  John  Kilough,  who  had  settled  lands  and 
erected  Cabins  or  log  Houses  thereon."  These  men,  who  were  at  that 
time  convicted  of  trespass,  were  the  first  white  men  to  locate  in  what 
is  now  Spring  township.  After  the  purchase  of  1754,  the  first  land 
warrants  were  issued  to  John  Sanderson  and  Samuel  Fisher,  who  took 
up  lands  near  Elliottsburg.  Some  of  those  evicted  in  1750  came  back 
and  perfected  their  titles  and  other  early  settlers  were  Thomas  Fisher, 
Edward  Irvin,  James  Aldricks,  Abraham  Smith,  David  Robb,  John 
Waggoner,  from  whom  Waggoner's  gap  takes  its  name,  David  Beard, 
Henry  Spark,  and  the  Gibsons.  The  old  Westover  mill  was  built  by 
Anne  West  Gibson  about  1780  and  was  one  of  the  first  in  the  county. 
John,  Samuel,  Jonathan,  and  Thomas  Ross  were  also  among  the 
pioneers,  taking  up  lands  on  both  sides  of  Sherman's  creek. 

About  1780  Henry  Spark  built  a  school  house  on  his  farm  and 
opened  a  school  with  himself  as  the  teacher.  A  log  school  house  was 
built  in  the  Pisgah  valley  in  1798.  Another  early  school  house  was 
West's,  about  half  a  mile  west  of  Gibson's  rock.  In  1912  there  were 
nine  public  schools  in  the  township.  John  Bannister  Gibson,  at  one  time 
chief  justice  of  the  Pennsylvania  supreme  court,  was  born  in  this  town- 
ship and  first  went  to  school  at  the  West  school  house. 

Elliottsburg,  a  station  on  the  Newport  &  Sherman's  Valley  railroad, 
received  its  name  from  George  Elliott  in  1828,  when  a  postotftce  was 
established  there  with  Henry  C.  Hackett  as  postmaster.  A  tavern  had 
l^een  opened  there  two  years  before.  Peter  Bernheisel  was  the  first 
merchant.  Elliottsburg  was  one  of  the  aspirants  for  county  seat  honors 
when  the  county  was  erected  in  1820,  eight  years  before  it  assumed  its 
present  name.  The  population  in  19 10  was  150.  It  is  the  only  village 
of  consequence  in  the  township. 

Toboyne  township  was  taken  from  Tyrone  by  the  following  action 
of  the  Cumberland  county  court  at  the  March  term  in  1763:  "Upon 
application  of  some  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Tyrone  Township  to  this 
court,  setting  forth  that  said  township  is  too  Large,  it  is  adjudged  by 
the  said  Court  that  Alexander  Roddy's  Mill  Runn  be  the  line,  and  the 
name  of  the  Upper,  Toboyne,  Alexander  Logan  being  in  Toboyne 
Township." 

Its  area  was  reduced  by  the  formation  of  Madison  in   1836  and 


2i6  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Jackson  in  1S44,  but  it  is  still  one  of  the  largest  in  the  county,  having 
an  area  of  about  seventy-five  square  miles.  It  occupies  the  extreme 
western  end  of  the  county;  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Juniata  county; 
on  the  east  by  Jackson  township;  on  the  south  by  Cumberland  county, 
and  on  the  west  b}-  the  county  of  Franklin. 

The  earliest  settlers  in  this  part  of  Perry  county  were  John  Wilson, 
Joseph  McClintock,  John  Rhea,  John  Glass,  John  Jordan,  John  Clenden- 
nin,  who  was  killed  by  the  Indians,  and  John  Watt.  In  1767,  the  oldest 
record  available,  there  were  forty-two  landowners  in  the  township, 
which  at  that  time  included  Jackson  and  Madison.  Jacob  Grove  was 
assessed  on  a  grist-mill  and  saw-mill,  the  only  ones  in  the  township. 
In  1800  Samuel  Leaman  built  a  mill  on  the  tract  of  land  warranted  by 
John  Watt  in  1755. 

About  1805  a  school  house  was  built  on  the  farm  owned  by  David 
Hollenbaugh ;  another  was  situated  near  Joshua  Rowe's,  and  a  third 
was  not  far  from  Long's  mill.  A  school  house  had  been  built  some  years 
before  at  New  Germantown.  On  ]\Iarch  28,  1814,  the  legislature  passed 
an  act  containing  the  provision  that  "The  land  officers  to  make  a  title 
clear  of  purchase  money  and  fees  to  trustees  for  schools  to  be  estab- 
lished in  the  township  of  Toboyne  for  a  piece  of  land,"  etc.  In  1912 
there  were  eight  public  schools. 

When  Colonel  Frederick  Watts'  battalion  was  organized  in  1777, 
a  majority  of  the  men  came  from  Perry  county  and  a  large  number  were 
from  Toboyne  township.  William  Plain,  wlio  lived  in  that  part  after- 
ward cut  off  to  form  Jackson  township,  was  captain  of  the  Fourth  com- 
pany, and  Thomas  Clark  commanded  the  Eighth  company.  In  Captain 
David  Moreland's  company  in  the  War  of  18 12  there  were  about  twenty 
men  from  Toboyne. 

New  Germantown,  the  only  important  village  in  the  township,  is 
situated  on  Sherman's  creek,  near  the  eastern  border.  It  was  laid  out 
by  Solomon  Sheibley  about  1820  and  was  named  after  Germantown, 
near  Philadelphia.  At  that  time  the  business  enterprises  consisted  of  a 
shoemaker's  shop,  a  blacksmith  shop,  a  hatter,  a  carpenter,  and  Jacob 
Kreamer's  mill.  Prior  to  1820  the  place  was  known  as  Limestone 
Spring.  One  of  the  first  taverns  was  the  "Old  Stone  Castle,"  kept  ]jy 
David  Koutz  until  1831,  when  he  left  the  town.  The  village  was  seri- 
ously damaged  by  a  fire  in  March,  1876,  and  in  the  fall  of  1885  J.  E. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  217 

Rumple's  store  was  destroyed  by  fire.  In  1844  New  Germantown  was 
incorporated  as  a  borough,  but  the  citizens  faihng  to  attend  to  the 
roads,  the  charter  was  tai<en  away  in  1847.  It  is  the  terminus  of  the 
Newport  &  Sherman's  Valley  railroad  and  in  1910  reported  a  population 
of  250.  It  is  the  principal  trading  and  shipping  point  for  the  western 
part  of  the  county. 

Tuscarora  township,  in  the  northern  tier,  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Juniata  county :  on  the  east  by  the  Juniata  river,  across  which  lies 
Greenwood  township;  on  the  south  by  the  townships  of  Oliver  and 
Juniata,  and  on  the  west  by  Saville.  Its  greatest  length  is  about  eleven 
miles,  the  average  width  is  three  miles,  and  the  area  about  thirty-one 
square  miles.  Tuscarora  was  erected  in  a  different  manner  from  most 
of  the  townships.  In  response  to  a  petition,  the  court  in  October,  1858, 
ordered  an  election  to  be  held,  at  which  the  people  were  to  vote  on  the 
question  of  forming  a  new  township.  The  election  was  held  on  the 
last  day  of  November,  the  return  was  filed  with  the  court,  and  on 
January  3,  1859,  the  following  decree  was  issued : 

"Whereupon,  the  clerk  of  the  Court  of  Quarter  Sessions  having 
laid  the  within  return  before  the  court,  it  is  ordered  and  decreed  that 
a  new  township  be  erected  agreeably  to  the  lines  marked  out  by  the 
commissioners,  whose  report  is  filed,  and  that  the  said  township  be 
named  'Tuscarora,'  and,  farther,  the  court  do  order  and  decree  that 
the  place  of  holding  elections  shall  be  at  the  house  of  Michael  Donnally, 
at  Donnally's  Alills,  and  do  appoint  Jacob  Yohn,  Judge,  and  James 
H.  Deavor  and  David  Leonard,  Inspectors,  to  hold  the  spring  elections 
for  the  present  year,  and  also  appoint  John  S.  Kerr,  constable." 

Soon  after  the  lands  in  the  Juniata  valley  were  opened  to  settle- 
ment, a  number  of  persons  located  in  what  is  now  Tuscarora  township. 
Among  them  were  Robert  Larimer,  Lewis  Gronow,  Robert  Campbell, 
Thomas  Craig,  James  and  John  Black,  Robert  Cochran,  Samuel  Atlee, 
Henry  and  William  Bull.  James  and  Matthew  Loudon,  John  Murray, 
Robert  McCrary,  William  and  John  Miller,  Philip  and  Peter  Jones,  Wil- 
liam White,  \\'illiam  Brown,  and  a  number  of  others,  descendants  of 
some  of  whom  still  reside  in  the  county. 

What  was  known  as  the  Bull  school  house  was  originally  a  carpen- 
ter shop.  The  Narrows  school  house,  on  the  road  leading  from  Rac- 
coon valley  to  Buckwheat  valley,  was  built  some  time  prior  to   1780. 


2i8  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Another  old  school  house,  known  as  the  Oakland,  was  located  in  the 
Buckwheat  valley.  There  were  seven  school  districts  in  the  township 
in  1912.  Bull's  Hill  graveyard  had  its  beginning  about  1780,  when  a 
man  was  frozen  to  death  while  trying  to  cross  the  Tuscarora  mountain 
and  was  buried  at  this  place. 

About  1853  one  Andrew  J.  Smolnicker  bought  at  sheriff's  sale  some 
300  or  400  acres  of  land  near  the  top  of  the  mountain,  on  which  he 
put  up  a  frame  building  twenty  by  forty  feet  for  a  residence  and 
church  of  the  new  sect  he  had  founded,  which  was  called  the  "Peace 
Union."  He  wrote  a  book  setting  forth  his  creed,  but  his  death  a  few 
years  later  left  the  movement  without  a  leader  and  the  church  went 
down. 

Millerstown  station,  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  opposite  Millers- 
town,  and  Donnally's  Mills  are  the  only  villages  of  importance.  Henry 
Bull  built  a  grist-mill  at  the  latter  place  at  an  early  date  and  a  small 
settlement  sprang  up  about  the  mill.  Later  he  sold  the  mill  to  Michael 
Donnally  and  in  time  the  place  became  known  as  Donnally's  Mills.  The 
population  was  104  in  1910.  It  is  the  principal  trading  point  for  the 
people  living  in  the  Raccoon  valley. 

Tyrone  township  once  included  all  that  part  of  Perry  county  lying 
west  of  the  Juniata  river  and  has  been  called  "the  mother  of  townships, 
fourteen  new  ones  having  been  created  from  its  original  territory.  It 
is  now  bounded  on  the  north  by  Saville;  on  the  east  by  Spring;  on  the 
south  and  southwest  by  Cumberland  county,  and  on  the  west  by  the 
township  of  Madison.  Sherman's  creek  flows  through  the  central  por- 
tion and  the  Newport  &  Sherman's  Valley  railroad  crosses  the  northern 
part. 

As  Tyrone  originally  embraced  such  a  large  district,  many  of  the 
earh'-  settlers  are  mentioned  in  connection  with  other  townships,  in 
which  they  were  located  after  such  townships  were  erected.  A  number 
of  squatters  settled  in  Sherman's  valley  before  the  land  was  purchased 
from  the  Indians.  James  Kennedy,  John  and  Joseph  Scott,  Thomas 
Wilson,  and  several  others  were  there  in  1753  and  took  out  land  war- 
rants as  soon  as  possible  after  the  region  was  opened  to  settlement. 
Andrew  Montour  received  a  warrant  for  143  acres  between  the  little 
stream  known  as  Montour's  run  and  Sherman's  creek.  This  place  after- 
ward became  the  property  of  Abraham  Landis,  Montour  having  left 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA   VALLEY  219 

the  country  soon  after  settlers  began  coming  in.  A  mill  was  erected  on 
the  tract  by  Jeremiah  Rice  in  1786.  Conrad  Weiser,  the  Indian  inter- 
preter, stopped  at  Montour's  in  1754,  while  on  his  way  to  Aughwick 
to  hold  a  treaty. 

In  19 1 2  there  were  ten  public  schools  in  Tyrone  township.  The 
first  school  house  known  to  have  been  within  the  present  limits  of  the 
township  was  built  in  1794  near  the  Lebanon  church  at  Loysville.  Prob- 
ably the  next  was  built  at  Landisburg,  and  another  stood  near  the  old 
Patterson  mill.  There  was  also  a  school  house  in  the  Kennedy  valley  at 
an  early  date. 

Loysville  and  Greenpark  are  the  flourishing  villages.  Part  of  Loys- 
ville was  laid  out  by  the  poor  directors  in  1840  and  named  Andesville. 
A  postoffice  by  that  name  was  established  there  about  two  years  later, 
but  subsec|uently  both  the  postoffice  and  village  were  named  Loysville, 
in  honor  of  Michael  Loy.  The  other  part  of  the  town  was  laid  out 
about  the  Lutheran  church,  on  what  was  known  as  the  McClure  farm. 
Michael  Kepner,  Andrew  Welch,  and  Robert  Dunbar  opened  a  store 
here  in  1830.  Loysville  is  a  station  on  the  Newport  &  Sherman's  Val- 
ley railroad,  about  nine  miles  southwest  from  New  Bloomfield,  and  in 
1910  had  a  population  of  500. 

In  Greenpark  the  first  house  was  built  by  William  Reed,  about  1834. 
In  1857  Martin  Mootzer  and  John  Bernheisel  opened  a  store  and  Jacob 
Bernheisel  &  Sons  started  a  machine  shop.  Greenpark  is  on  the  line 
of  the  Newport  &  Sherman's  Valley  railroad,  seven  miles  from  New 
Bloomfield.    The  population  was  178  in  1910. 

Watts  township,  occupying  the  point  of  land  between  the  Juniata  and 
Susquehanna  rivers  and  including  Duncan's  and  Haldeman's  islands, 
is  one  of  the  smallest  in  the  county.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Buffalo;  on  the  east  and  south  by  the  Susquehanna  river;  and  on  the 
west  by  the  Juniata,  across  which  lies  the  townships  of  Miller,  Wheat- 
field,  and  Penn. 

Marcus  Hulings  settled  at  the  mouth  of  the  Juniata  in  1753.  Three 
years  later  he  was  driven  off  by  the  Indians.  After  the  cessation  of 
hostilities  he  returned  and  obtained  a  warrant  for  200  acres  at  the 
junction  of  the  two  rivers.  He  also  warranted  another  tract  farther 
up  the  Susquehanna.  He  died  in  1788  and  his  son  Thomas  succeeded 
to  the  estate.      Other  early  settlers  were  John   Eshelman,   Frederick 


220  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Watts,  Robert  Ferguson,  Benjamin  Walker,  and  Joseph  Nagle.  The 
names  of  Stophel  Munce,  George  Etzmiller,  Francis  EUis,  Samuel  Neaves 
and  John  ^Miller  appear  in  the  early  records  as  landowners,  and  some  of 
them  may  have  lived  in  the  township. 

The  Pennsylvania  canal  ran  through  this  township  and  the  Pennsyl- 
vania railroad  now  follows  the  Juniata  river  on  the  opposite  side.  The 
township  was  named  for  David  Watts,  who  presided  over  the  court  at 
the  time  the  township  was  erected  in  1849. 

The  first  school  house  was  built  on  what  was  known  as  the  "Church 
Lands."  It  was  without  a  floor  and  it  is  said  to  have  settled  so  much 
that  the  teacher  could  not  stand  erect  in  it,  when  it  was  rebuilt.  In 
1912  there  were  three  public  schools — McAllister's,  Centre,  and  Liv- 
ingston's. The  schools  of  New  Bufifalo,  the  only  borough  in  the  town- 
ship, are  not  included  in  the  above. 

\\'heatfield  township  was  erected  on  January  5,  1S26,  in  response 
to  a  petition  filed  with  the  court  in  May,  1824.  Several  unsuccessful 
attempts  had  been  made  prior  to  that  time  to  divide  Rye  township,  from 
which  the  territory  of  Wheatfield  was  taken.  At  the  time  it  was  created 
it  contained  298  taxpayers,  but  it  has  since  been  reduced  in  size  by  the 
formation  of  Miller,  Centre,  Penn,  and  Carroll.  Since  these  townships 
have  been  cut  off  Wheatfield  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Miller,  east 
by  the  Juniata  river,  south  by  Penn,  and  west  by  Carroll.  It  is  ten  miles 
long  and  three  miles  wide,  having  an  area  of  thirty  square  miles. 

Frederick  Watts,  a  native  of  Wales,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers. 
He  was  born  in  June,  1719,  married  in  his  native  land  Jane,  daughter 
of  David  Murray,  Marquis  of  Tullibardine,  who  esjioused  the  cause  of 
Charles,  the  Pretender,  and  after  the  battle  of  Culloden  became  an 
exile.  Watts  came  with  his  family  to  America  about  1760  and  two  years 
later  warranted  331  acres  fronting  on  the  Juniata  in  what  is  now 
Wheatfield  township.  Levi  Owen,  also  a  Welshman,  settled  in  Wheat- 
field  in  the  spring  of  1767.  Arnold  Van  Fossen,  Robert  Ramsey.  John 
Smith,  who  entered  in  1788  the  tract  where  the  Montabello  furnace 
was  afterward  built,  Benjamin  Abram,  and  William  Baskins  were  among 
the  pioneer  landowners.  The  Montabello  furnace  was  built  about  1834 
and  the  Fio  forge,  on  Sherman's  creek,  was  built  in  1827.  The  former 
was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1875  and  the  latter  was  abandoned  after  a  flood 
destroyed  the  dam  in  1846.     A  large  tract  lying  between   Sherman's 


VIEW   OF   NEW   BLOOMFIELD,   FROM   THE    XORTH. 


COUNTY  JAIL.   NEW   BLOOMFIELD. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  221 

creek  and  Fine  hill  was  bought  by  Peter  Billow  in  18 12.  Here  the  old 
Billow  tavern,  a  well  known  stopping  place  for  many  years,  was  opened 
by  the  proprietor,  who  also  started  a  distillery. 

About  iSio  a  school  house  was  built  on  Levi  Owen's  place  and  was 
used  for  school  purposes  for  about  ten  years.  Wheatfield  accepted  the 
school  law  in  1835  and  in  1912  there  were  seven  districts. 

In  Perry  county  there  are  nine  incorporated  boroughs — Blain,  Dun- 
cannon,  Landisburg,  Liverpool,  Marysville,  Millerstown,  New  Bloom- 
field,  New  Buffalo,  and  Newport. 

New  Bloomfield,  the  county  seat,  is  pleasantly  located  near  the  cen- 
ter of  the  county  and  had  its  beginning  in  1823,  when  the  site  was 
selected  as  the  seat  of  justice.  There  is  a  story  that  when  the  site 
was  selected  on  June  i,  1823,  the  clover  was  in  full  bloom  and  this  gave 
name  to  the  town.  Another  account  says  that  Mrs.  George  Barnett, 
whose  husband  donated  the  ground  to  the  county,  was  given  the  privilege 
of  naming  the  town.  She  suggested  "Bloomfield,"  but,  when  the  ob- 
jection was  made  that  there  were  so  many  towns  of  that  name,  she  pro- 
posed "New  Bloomfield,"  which  name  was  adopted.  Robert  Kelly  was 
employed  by  the  commissioners  to  lay  out  the  town  and  a  square  was 
set  apart  at  the  intersection  of  IMain  and  Carlisle  streets  for  the  court- 
house. Opposite  the  court-house  was  the  market-house  lot,  but  no 
market-house  has  ever  been  built.  David  Lupfer  bought  a  lot  just  north 
of  the  court-house  and  erected  thereon  a  two-story  brick  building  for  a 
hotel,  the  first  in  the  town.  A  postoftice  was  established  in  May,  1825, 
with  Jonas  Ickes  as  the  postmaster.  According  to  the  Perry  Forester, 
in  August,  1826,  Bloomfield  contained  "eighteen  snug  and  comfortable 
buildings,  some  of  which  are  large  and  commodious,  besides  from  12 
to  15  stables." 

At  the  time  the  site  was  selected  as  the  county  seat  there  was  not 
a  single  building  upon  it.  In  1829  there  were  "29  dwellings,  21  shops 
and  offices,  court-house  and  jail.  4  stores,  5  taverns,  i  printing  office, 
2  shoemaker  shops,  2  tailor  shops,  2  tanneries,  a  saddler,  a  tinner,  a 
hatter,  2  blacksmith  shops,  2  or  3  carpenters,  more  than  half  a  dozen 
lawyers  and  half  as  many  doctors." 

On  November  25,  1830.  the  citizens  of  the  town  met  to  consider 
the  question  of  incorporation.  A  petition  was  presented  to  the  legisla- 
ture and  an  act  was  passed  by  which  New  Bloomfield  became  an  in- 


222  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

corporated  borough  on  March  14,    1831.     The  first  election  was  held 
four  days  later,  when  Alexander  Magee  was  elected  burgess. 

The  first  newspaper  was  the  Perry  Forester,  which  began  its  career 
at  Landisburg  in  1820  under  the  ownership  and  management  of  Alex- 
ander Magee  and  H.  W.  Peterson.  The  latter  retired  and,  in  April, 
1S29,  Mr.  Magee  removed  the  office  to  the  county  seat.  The  first  school 
house  was  a  small  brick  building,  erected  about  1829  on  a  lot  donated 
by  George  Barnett  on  the  north  side  of  High  street  and  the  second  was 
on  McClure  street.  The  Bloomfield  Seminary  Avas  opened  by  Robert 
Finley  in  the  fall  of  1837  and  the  Bloomfield  Academy  was  incorporated 
in  April,  1838.  In  19 12  there  were  four  teachers  employed  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  borough.  The  Methodist  church  was  organized  in  1829 
and  the  first  building  was  erected  in  1831.  The  first  Presbyterian 
church  was  built  in  1835,  the  Reformed  church  in  1857,  and  the  Luth- 
eran church  the  same  year. 

In  the  fall  of  1893  ^  company  was  formed,  with  a  capital  of  $15,000 
and  A.  R.  Johnson  as  president,  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  the  bor- 
ough with  water.  The  source  of  supply  is  at  Garland  Springs,  one 
and  a  fourth  miles  west  of  the  town  and  New  Bloomfield  has  a  plenti- 
ful supply  of  pure  water  for  all  purposes.  In  1898  the  Joshua  S.  Leiby 
Company,  of  Newport,  secured  a  franchise  for  putting  in  an  electric 
lighting  plant,  and  the  spring  of  the  following  year  saw  New  Bloom- 
field lighted  by  electricity.  The  plant  is  controlled  by  the  Prairie  Elec- 
tric Light,  Heat  and  Power  Company. 

The  borough  has  a  national  bank,  several  manufacturing  enterprises, 
among  which  are  a  knitting  mill  and  a  shirt  factory,  several  good  stores, 
two  hotels,  etc.  It  is  connected  with  Duncannon  Ijy  the  Susquehanna 
River  &  Western  railroad,  and  in  19 10  had  a  population  of  762. 

Blain  is  the  outgrowth  of  a  settlement  that  grew  up  about  the  mill 
erected  by  James  Blain  in  1778.  The  mill  was  purchased  by  William 
Douglass  early  in  the  nineteenth  century  and  a  postoffice  was  established 
there  under  the  name  of  Douglass'  Mill.  In  1846  the  town  was  regu- 
larly laid  out  and  the  name  of  the  postofiice  was  changed  to  Blain. 
The  first  store  was  opened  by  Anthony  Black.  Blain  was  incorporated 
on  November  3,  1877,  and  the  first  election  was  held  in  February,  1878. 
It  is  located  on  the  Newport  &  Sherman's  Valley  railroad,  twenty  miles 
west  of  New  Bloomfield,  and  is  said  to  occupy  the  prettiest  site  in  the 


SOLDIERS'  AXD  SAILORS'  MOXUMEXT,  NEW  BLOOiMFIELD. 


HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  223 

county.  Before  the  building  of  the  railroad  it  was  connected  with  New- 
port by  a  stage  hne.  Blain  has  a  bank,  a  number  of  good  stores,  some 
cozy  residences,  a  graded  school  employing  two  teachers,  churches  of 
different  denominations,  a  hotel,  etc.     The  population  in  1910  was  326. 

Duncannon,  formerl}'  called  Petersburg,  is  located  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  county  on  the  Susquehanna  river  and  the  main  line  of  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad,  and  is  the  eastern  terminus  of  the  Susquehanna 
River  &  Western  railwa}-.  It  was  laid  out  by  Christian  Miller  in  1792 
and  three  years  later  there  were  eighteen  lot-owners.  Robert  Stewart 
was  one  of  the  pioneer  merchants  and  the  first  hotel  was  erected 
about  1794.  John  Chisholm  built  a  grist-mill  about  1810.  The  Dun- 
cannon  Iron  \\'orks  were  established  in  1827  by  Stephen  A.  Duncan  and 
John  D.  Mahon.  In  1873  a  rolling  mill  and  nail  factory  were  started, 
the  latter  with  a  capacity  of  800  kegs  a  week.  In  1865  the  name  was 
changed  from  Petersburg  to  Duncannon,  under  which  name  it  was  in- 
corporated. It  has  two  national  banks,  a  number  of  manufacturing  en- 
terprises, well  stocked  mercantile  houses,  good  hotels,  modern  public 
school  building  in  which  eight  teachers  were  employed  in  19 12,  lodges 
of  the  leading  fraternal  organizations,  etc.  The  population  in  1910 
was  1,474. 

Landisburg,  ten  miles  southwest  of  New  Bloomfield,  was  laid  out 
by  Abraham  Landis  in  1793.  An  attempt  was  made  to  dispose  of  the 
lots  by  lottery,  but  it  appears  to  have  been  unsuccessful  and  they  were 
then  sold  in  the  usual  way.  The  oldest  deed  on  record  is  dated  Decem- 
ber I,  1795,  when  George  'W'olf  bought  a  lot  and  set  up  in  business  as  a 
wheelwright,  ^^l^en  Perry  county  was  erected  in  1820,  the  countv 
business  was  transacted  and  courts  were  held  at  Landisburg  until  the 
court-house  at  New  Bloomfield  was  completed.  The  first  hotel  was  the 
Bigler  House,  kept  by  Jacob  Bigler.  William  Power  was  one  of  the 
early  merchants.  Landisburg  was  incorporated  on  December  23,  183 1, 
but  the  early  records  have  not  been  preserved.  It  has  a  bank,  a  good 
public  school  building  in  which  two  teachers  were  employed  in  19 12, 
several  stores,  churches  of  different  faiths,  and  in  1910  reported  a 
population  of  252. 

Liverpool,  situated  in  the  eastern  end  of  the  county  on  the  Susque- 
hanna river,  was  laid  out  by  John  Huggins  in  October,  1808,  and  Avas 
incorporated  as  a  borough  in  1832.     Samuel  Haas  had  laid  out  a  town 


224  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA   VALLEY 

adjoining  Liverpool  in  1818.  but  at  the  time  of  the  incorporation  it 
was  taken  into  the  borough.  Haas"  town  bore  the  high-sounding  name 
of  "Northern  Liberties."  In  1835  an  engine  house  was-built  on  the 
market  square,  but  it  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1873.  Thomas  Gallagher 
was  the  first  merchant  and  John  Huggins  kept  the  first  hotel.  Among 
the  early  industries  were  the  distillery  of  George  Thorp,  the  tannery  of 
John  Speece  and  Rohrbach's  foundry.  The  first  school  house  was  a  log 
structure  about  twenty-five  feet  square,  afterward  weather-boarded  and 
painted.  Four  teachers  were  employed  in  the  borough  schools  in  1912. 
A  newspaper  called  the  Mercury  was  started  by  John  Huggins  in  July, 
182 1,  and  ran  for  about  five  years,  when  it  was  merged  into  the  Perry 
County  Democrat.  Liverpool  has  a  national  bank,  some  well-stocked 
stores,  a  money  order  postofiice,  several  neat  houses  of  worship,  etc. 
The  population  in  1910  was  596. 

Marysville,  the  second  largest  town  in  the  county,  is  in  the  extreme 
southeast  corner  on  the  Susquehanna  ri\er  and  the  main  line  of  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad.  It  was  laid  out  by  Theophilus  Fenn  in  1861 
and  was  incorporated  on  April  12,  1866.  Five  houses  had  been  built  on 
the  site  in  i860.  Samuel  Hunter  had  a  saw-mill  here  many  years  before. 
Near  the  west  end  of  the  railroad  bridge  once  stood  an  old  house  which 
was  the  headcjuarters  of  a  band  of  horse  thieves.  IMarysville  has  a 
national  bank,  several  churches,  well-improved  streets,  nine  teachers  in 
the  public  schools,  a  number  of  manufacturing  establishments,  good 
hotels,  electric  light  system  and  water  works,  and  in  1910  reported  a 
population,  of  1.693,  ^^  increase  of  230  during  the  preceding  decade. 
The  borough  is  the  terminus  of  a  branch  of  the  Philadelphia  &  Reading 
railway  system. 

JNIillerstown  was  laid  out  in  1780  by  David  ]\Iiller.  The  old  Ferry 
Hotel  had  been  built  two  years  before  and  was  probably  the  first  house 
on  the  site  of  the  town.  The  L^nion  Hotel  was  built  in  1800  by  John 
Wood.  The  same  year  Joshua  North  started  a  tannery.  A  school  house 
was  built  in  1808  and  continued  in  use  until  1856,  when  a  new  one  was 
erected.  The  borough  now  employs  three  teachers  in  the  new  graded 
school  building.  ]\Iillerstown  has  a  bank,  the  usual  quota  of  stores, 
shops,  and  churches,  lodges  of  various  orders,  and  in  1910  had  a  popu- 
lation of  549.  Across  the  Juniata  river  is  Millerstown  Station,  on  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad.     A  bridge  was  first  built  here  in  1839. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  225 

Newport  (formerly  Reiderville)  was  laid  out  by  Paul,  John,  and 
Daniel  Reider,  whose  father  had  purchased  the  site  from  David  English 
in  1789  and  left  it  to  his  sons  by  a  will  dated  August  6,  1804.  When 
I'erry  county  was  erected  in  1820  the  name  was  changed  to  Newport 
and  an  effort  was  made  to  have  the  county  seat  located  there.  It  was  in- 
corporated in  1840  and  in  19 10  it  was  the  largest  town  in  the  county, 
having  a  population  of  2,009,  'i"  increase  of  266  over  the  census  of 
1900.  Newport  has  a  national  bank,  good  hotels,  first-class  mercantile 
establishments,  several  manufacturing  concerns,  neat  churches,  fine  pub- 
lic school  buildings,  in  which  ten  teachers  were  employed  in  1912;  im- 
jiroved  streets,  waterworks,  electric  lights,  sewers,  etc.  It  is  the  eastern 
terminus  of  the  Newport  &  Sherman's  \'alley  railroad  and  is  on  the 
main  line  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  twenty-seven  miles  west  of 
Harrisburg. 

New  Buffalo,  on  the  Susquehanna  river,  about  seven  miles  above 
Duncannon,  was  laid  out  by  Jacob  Baughman  some  years  before  Perry 
county  was  created  and  was  at  first  called  Baughman's  Town.  It  was 
incorporated  on  April  8,  1848,  and  John  Shaffer  was  the  first  burgess. 
A  school  house  was  built  in  1834  and  was  used  for  forty  years,  when 
a  two-story  brick  building  was  erected.  Jacob  Baughman  was  the  first 
hotel  keeper  and  he  also  operated  a  grist-mill  and  distillery.  A  man 
named  Kepner  was  the  first  merchant.  Before  he  started  in  business  the 
inhabitants  went  across  the  Susquehanna  in  canoes  to  Halifax,  Dauphin 
county,  for  their  supplies.  The  population  of  New  Buffalo  in  1910  was 
135.    It  is  the  smallest  borough  in  the  county. 

Shermansdale,  although  not  an  incorporated  borough,  is  one  of  the 
flourishing  towns.  It  is  located  on  Sherman's  creek,  about  eight  miles 
south  of  New  Bloomfield,  which  is  the  most  convenient  railroad  station. 
A  tavern  was  built  near  the  village  at  an  early  date  and  was  kept  by 
Thomas  Norton.  The  name  Shermansdale  was  given  to  the  postoffice 
when  it  was  established  in  1850.  Daniel  Gallatin  was  the  first  merchant. 
The  population  in  1910  was  572. 

In  addition  to  the  boroughs  and  villages  already  mentioned  in  this 
chapter,  the  postoffices  of  Perry  county  are :  Alinda,  Centre,  Logania, 
Mannsville,  Markelsville,  Montgomery's  Ferry,  Nekoda,  Pfoutz  Valley, 
Saville,  Walsingham,  and  Wila.  There  are  twenty-six  rural  free  deliv- 
erv  routes  in  the  countv,  to  wit :     One  from  Andersonburg,  one  from 


226  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Blain,  four  from  Duncannon,  one  from  Elliottsburg.  two  from  Landis- 
burg,  two  from  Liverpool,  two  from  Loj'sville,  one  from  Marysville, 
four  from  Millerstown,  three  from  New  Bloomfield,  three  from  New- 
port, and  two  from  Shermansdale. 


CHAPTER   XII 

MILITARY   HISTORY 

Pennsylvania  Always  Patriotic — Conditions  in  the  Early  Part  of  the  Eighteenth  Cen- 
tury— The  Ohio  Company — French  Opposition — They  Build  Forts  in  Pennsylvania 
— Washington's  Expedition — General  Braddock's  Defeat — Indian  Troubles  in  the 
Juniata  Valley — Forts  Patterson,  Granville  and  Shirley — Indian  Raids  in  the  Valley 
— Destruction  of  Fort  Granville — Armstrong's  Expedition — The  Pontiac  War^ 
The  Revolution — Committee  of  Correspondence  and  Safety — Meeting  of  Deputies — 
United  Action — First  Continental  Congress — Provincial  Convention  of  1775 — Com- 
mittee of  Safety — Call  for  Troops — Thompson's  Battalion — Roster  of  Juniata  Com- 
panies— Washington's  Opinion  of  the  "Riflemen" — Organization  of  the  Militia — 
Whigs  and  Tories — Weston's  Tory  Expedition — Jacob  Hare — Frontier  Forts — War 
of  1812 — Volunteers  from  the  Juniata — Perry's  Victory — Heroism  of  Metlin  and 
Tool — Pennsylvania's  Record. 

UNHAPPILY,  the  story  of  human  progress  is  one  of  war,  cruelty 
and  bloodshed.  Through  the  application  of  the  theory  that 
"the  fittest  survive,"  the  weaker  or  inferior  races  have  been 
vanquished  by  the  stronger  ones  and  their  lands  taken  from  them. 
Long  and  bloody  contests  have  been  waged  by  civilized  nations  for  the 
territory  thus  wrested  from  savage  peoples.  Sometimes,  as  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  the  people  have  rebelled  against  the  oppression  of  a  royal 
ruler,  and,  in  a  few  instances,  wars  have  been  fought  to  uplift  humanity. 
It  has  been  said  that  war  brings  an  element  of  patriotism  that  cannot  be 
developed  in  times  of  peace.  Whether  or  not  this  be  true,  the  people  of 
Pennsvlvania  have  never  been  charged  with  a  lack  of  patriotism  or 
lovaltv  to  their  race,  their  government  or  its  institutions.  Since  the 
first  settlement  of  the  province  they  have  taken  part  in  every  conflict 
fought  upon  American  soil.  As  pioneers  they  pushed  their  way  into 
the  wilderness,  the  trusty  rifle  being  always  within  reach  to  defend 
their  families  and  homes  against  the  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife  of 
the  red  man.  They  were  among  the  first  of  the  American  colonists  to 
protest  against  the  tyranny  of  the  mother  country,  and  her  sons  served 
with  honor  and  distinction  in  the  War  for  Independence.     In  the  War 

227 


228  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

of  1812  they  fought  against  British  oppression.  They  upheld  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  in  the  War  with  Mexico,  and  in  the  great 
Civil  war  of  1861-65;  and  in  the  Spanish-American  war  they  demon- 
strated that  they  were  willing  to  make  sacrifices  for  the  cause  of  liberty 
and  a  better  civilization  for  the  downtrodden. 

Prior  to  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  population  of 
central  and  western  Pennsylvania  was  so  sparse  that  the  few  people 
inhabiting  those  remote  districts — at  that  time  the  western  frontier — 
were  not  called  upon  to  play  any  considerable  part  in  the  wars  with  the 
Indians.  A  few  white  traders  or  adventurers  were  killed  by  the  savages, 
but  no  organized  military  force  was  found  necessary  until  the  time  of 
the  French  and  Indian  war.  That  conflict  had  its  origin  in  the  very 
beginning  of  colonization  in  North  America.  The  English  settlements 
were  made  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  only  a  few  penetrating  beyond  the 
Alleghany  mountains.  On  the  other  hand,  French  settlements  were 
founded  along  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  in  Canada,  and  at  ^Mobile  and 
New  Orleans  near  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  To  connect  the  French  settle- 
ments of  the  north  with  those  of  the  south  a  chain  of  some  sixty  forts 
Avas  established  through  the  broad  valleys  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
rivers,  which  region  was  claimed  by  La  Salle  in  1682  for  France  under 
the  name  of  Louisiana.  As  the  English  pushed  their  settlements  farther 
and  farther  to  the  westward  they  encountered  this  line  of  French  forts 
and  a  contest  was  inevitable.  The  French  foresaw  this  and  during  the 
thirty  years  of  peace  which  followed  the  treaty  of  Utrecht  in  1713 
prepared  for  the  struggle,  which  was  precipitated  by  the  organization  of 
the  Ohio  Company  in  1748.  This  was  a  land  company  projected  by 
English  and  Virginia  speculators  and  had  for  its  object  the  settlement 
and  colonization  of  the  country  west  of  the  Alleghanies — lands  which 
really  belonged  to  Pennsylvania,  but  which  Virginia  claimed  under 
her  charter. 

Immediately  upon  learning  of  the  organization  of  this  company  and 
that  surveyors  had  been  sent  into  the  region  west  of  the  mountains, 
the  French  authorities  ordered  a  number  of  forts  to  be  built  closer  to 
the  western  line  of  the  English  settlements.  One  of  these  forts  was 
located  at  Presque  Isle  (now  Erie),  another  at  Venango,  near  the  pres- 
ent city  of  Franklin,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  French  assumed  the  aggres- 
sive by  destroying  an  English  post  on  the  Miami  river.     Early  in  1754 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  229 

the  Ohio  Company  began  the  erection  of  a  fort  at  the  junction  of  the 
Allegheny  and  Monongahela  rivers,  where  the  city  of  Pittsburgh  now 
stands,  and  the  Virginia  legislature  voted  men  and  money  to  guard 
the  English  posts  in  the  disputed  territory.  The  little  detachment  at 
the  junction  of  the  Allegheny  and  Monongahela  was  driven  off  by  a 
French  force,  which  then  built  a  fort  there  and  named  it  Fort  Du  Quesne, 
after  the  governor  of  Canada.  George  Washington,  who  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  Virginians,  and  who,  it  is  said,  fired  the  first  shot  in  the 
skirmish  at  Fort  Du  Quesne,  fell  back  some  distance  and  built  Fort  Ne- 
cessity, which  he  was  compelled  to  surrender  to  a  superior  force  on 
July  4,  1754,  but  not  until  he  received  the  promise  that  he  and  his  men 
should  be  allowed  to  return  home. 

As  yet  there  had  been  no  formal  declaration  of  war  between  the  two 
nations,  but  both  England  and  France  hurried  additional  troops  and 
munitions  of  war  to  America.  Among  the  colonists  the  English  out- 
numbered the  French  about  ten  to  one.  To  offset  this  inequality,  the 
latter,  as  far  as  possible,  formed  alliances  with  the  Indian  tribes.  This 
was  not  a  difficult  thing  to  do,  as  the  French  were  traders  rather  than 
actual  settlers  and  interfered  but  little  with  the  Indian  hunting  grounds, 
while  the  English  felled  the  forests  and  built  permanent  habitations,  thus 
driving  away  the  game.  It  is  because  of  this  alliance  that  the  conflict 
is  known  in  history  as  the  French  and  Indian  war. 

In  1755  General  Edward  Braddock  was  sent  over  from  England  as 
commander-in-chief.  Four  campaigns  were  planned  for  that  year — one 
against  Louisburg,  which  guarded  the  approach  to  the  St.  Lawrence 
river;  one  against  Crown  Point,  on  Lake  Champlain;  one  against  the 
French  post  at  Niagara ;  and  the  fourth  against  Fort  Du  Quesne.  The 
last  named  was  led  by  Braddock  in  person.  Although  warned  against 
Indian  methods  of  fighting,  he  conducted  his  campaign  according  to 
the  custom  of  civilized  nations,  and,  on  July  9,  1755,  he  fell  into  an 
ambuscade  on  the  Monongahela  river,  not  far  from  the  fort.  The 
English  regulars  were  completely  routed,  Braddock  was  mortally 
wounded,  most  of  his  supplies  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  skillful  retreat  conducted  by  Washington,  the 
army  would  have  been  utterly  annihilated. 

After  the  defeat  of  General  Braddock  the  Indians  grew  bolder  in 
their  depredations  upon  the  settlements  of  the  western  frontier.     Some 


230  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

of  them,  particularly  the  western  Delawares,  whose  lands  had  been 
taken  from  them  by  the  treaty  of  July  6,  1754,  and  who  had  received 
no  part  of  the  purchase  price  paid  to  the  Six  Nations,  had  only  been 
awaiting  a  favorable  opportunity  to  drive  off  the  settlers  who  had  pene- 
trated into  the  country  west  of  the  Susquehanna  river.  In  May,  1755, 
a  small  party  invaded  the  Kishacoquillas  valley,  robbed  some  of  the 
settlers  there  and  drove  others  away,  but  immediately  after  the  defeat 
the  western  Delawares  and  Shawanese  boldly  allied  themselves  with  the 
French,  crossed  the  mountains  and  began  the  commission  of  atrocities 
along  the  southern  border  of  Pennsylvania.  On  October  16,  1755,  a 
considerable  body  of  them  ravaged  the  settlements  on  Penn's  creek,  in 
what  is  now  Snyder  county. 

These  outrages  called  attention  to  the  defenseless  condition  of  the 
frontier  and  spurred  the  provincial  authorities  to  action.  It  was  decided 
to  erect  a  line  of  forts  across  the  province  from  a  point  near  the  Dela- 
ware Water  Gap  to  the  Maryland  line  just  north  of  the  town  of  Cum- 
berland. In  pursuance  of  this  plan,  on  December  17,  1755,  the  follow- 
ing order  was  issued  to  Captain  George  Croghan : 

"Sir: — You  are  desired  to  proceed  to  Cumberland  County  and  fix 
on  proper  places  for  erecting  three  stockades,  viz. :  One  back  of  Pat- 
terson's, one  upon  Kishecoquillas,  and  one  near  Sideling  Hill;  each 
of  them  fifty  feet  square,  with  Block  House  on  two  of  the  corners, 
and  a  Barracks  within,  capable  of  lodging  fifty  men.  You  are  also 
desired  to  agree  with  some  proper  Person  or  Persons  to  oversee  the 
workmen  at  each  Place,  who  shall  be  allowed  such  Wages  as  you 
shall  agree  to  give,  not  exceeding  one  Dollar  per  day;  and  the  work- 
men shall  be  allowed  at  the  rate  of  six  Dollars  per  month  and  their 
Provisions,  till  the  work  is  finished." 

This  order  was  signed  by  Benjamin  Franklin,  Joseph  Fox,  Joseph 
Hughs,  and  Evan  Morgan. 

For  the  fort  "back  of  Patterson's,"  which  was  to  be  called  Pomfret 
Castle,  a  site  was  selected  on  the  Mahantango  creek,  near  the  present 
town  of  Richfield,  but  Professor  Guss  says  "it  is  doubtful  whether  any 
work  was  ever  done  on  it."  In  1751  James  Patterson,  with  five  or  six 
others,  settled  near  the  present  town  of  ilexico,  Juniata  county,  where 
he  built  a  log  house  which  was  "used  as  a  place  of  shelter  and  defense, 
and  which  became  known  as  Fort  Patterson."     Some  time  later  his  son, 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  231 

William  Patterson,  built  and  fitted  up  a  house  for  defense  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  river  and  this  was  also  called  Fort  Patterson,  which 
has  been  the  cause  of  some  confusion  among  historians. 

Instead  of  erecting  the  second  fort  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kishaco- 
cjuillas.  Captain  Croghan  went  about  a  mile  up  the  river,  where  he 
selected  a  site  near  a  fine  spring.  The  spring  was  destroyed  about  1829 
by  the  construction  of  the  Pennsylvania  canal.  Its  destruction  and  the 
lapse  of  time  makes  it  a  somewhat  difficult  matter  to  ascertain  the  exact 
location.  Some  years  ago  a  committee  of  Lewistown  citizens  undertook 
an  investigation  to  determine  the  site  of  the  old  fort.  The  report  of 
that  committee,  written  by  George  R.  Fr3'singer,  of  the  Lewistown 
Gazette,  states  that,  after  a  careful  examination  of  all  the  evidence, 
documentary  or  otherwise,  it  was  decided  that  the  fort  stood  on  the 
river  bank  near  the  mouth  of  a  ravine  on  the  farm  owned  by  Sylvester 
Brought.  In  1906  James  M.  Yeager  was  elected  to  represent  Mifflin 
county  in  the  lower  house  of  legislature  and  at  the  ensuing  session,  when 
a  bill  providing  for  monuments  or  markers  on  sites  of  old  forts  was 
presented,  succeeded  in  having  Fort  Granville  added  to  the  list  of  these 
historic  old  works. 

Fort  Shirley,  the  next  in  the  chain  of  fortifications,  was  on  Augh- 
wick  creek,  within  the  corporate  limits  of  the  present  borough  of  Shir- 
leysburg.  Lytle's  History  of  Huntingdon  County  says:  "It  was  a  log 
fort  of  considerable  strength  and  size,  standing  on  the  edge  of  the 
jalateau  sovith  of  Fort  Run  and  west  of  the  road  entering  Shirleysburg 
from  Mount  Union."  The  report  of  the  state  commission  (1896)  to 
locate  the  frontier  forts  of  Pennsylvania  fixes  the  site  of  Fort  Shirley 
"on  an  elevated  plot  of  ground  where  now  stands  the  Shirleysburg  Fe- 
male Seminary."  Governor  Morris  spent  the  greater  part  of  December, 
1755,  and  January,  1756,  on  the  frontier.  On  January  29,  1756,  he 
wrote  to  the  governors  of  Maryland  and  Virginia,  Colonel  George  Wash- 
ington and  General  William  Shirley,  expressing  satisfaction  with  the 
forts  and  stating  that  they  would  be  finished  in  about  ten  days.  In  his 
letter  to  General  Shirley  he  said :  "About  twenty  miles  northward  of 
Fort  Lytellton,  at  a  place  called  Aughwick,  another  fort  is  Erected, 
somewhat  larger  than  Fort  Lytellton,  which  I  have  taken  the  Liberty  to 
Honour  with  the  name  of  Fort  Shirley.  This  stands  near  the  great 
Path  used  by  the  Indians  and  Indian  Traders  to  and  from  the  Ohio,  and 


232  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

consequently  the  easiest  way  of  access  for  tlie  Indians  into  the  settle- 
ments of  this  Province." 

All  the  forts  were  finished  and  garrisoned  early  in  1756.  There 
were  also  at  that  time  several  private  forts  in  the  Juniata  valley,  the 
most  important  of  which  were  probably  Fort  Bigham  and  Fort  Robison. 
Fort  Bigham  (sometimes  called  Bingham)  was  erected  by  Samuel 
Bigham  in  1749.  It  was  located  on  his  farm  in  the  Tuscarora  valley, 
about  eleven  miles  from  Port  Royal,  a  short  distance  east  of  the  road 
leading  to  East  \\'aterford  and  about  twenty  rods  from  the  Tuscarora 
Valley  railroad.  Historians  describe  it  as  a  "strong  blockhouse  and 
stockade."  Fort  Robison  (also  called  Robinson  or  Robeson),  a  "block- 
house surrounded  by  a  stockade,"  was  built  in  1755  by  the  Robison 
brothers  on  the  farm  of  George  Robison,  near  the  mouth  of  Buffalo 
creek  in  what  is  now  Perry  county.  It  was  on  the  line  of  the  traders' 
path  from  Harris'  ferry  westward  and  "was  easy  of  access  from  every 
direction." 

Early  in  1756  a  small  party  of  Delaware  Indians  from  Shamokin 
came  into  the  Juniata  valley,  killed  I\Irs.  Hugh  Micheltree,  Edward  Nich- 
olas and  his  son,  and  carried  seven  persons  into  captivity.  Part  of  the 
same  band  went  into  Sherman's  valley,  where  they  massacred  the  fam- 
ilies of  William  Sheridan  and  a  man  named  French,  thirteen  in  number. 
In  March  Captain  James  Patterson  led  a  scouting  party  toward  Shamo- 
kin and  on  the  20th  fell  in  with  a  party  of  Indians  on  Middle  creek 
(Snyder  count^'),  "killed  and  scalped  one  and  put  the  rest  to  flight." 
\\'ith  the  return  of  spring  the  Indians  became  more  active  in  their  hos- 
tilities. On  June  11,  1756,  Fort  Bigham  was  attacked  and  burned,  all 
its  inmates  being  killed  or  captured.  The  following  month  a  marauding 
party  entered  Sherman's  valley,  where  they  killed  a  Mrs.  Robison  and 
carried  away  her  son  Hugh  as  a  prisoner.  On  July  22nd  about  sixty 
savages  made  a  demonstration  in  front  of  Fort  Granville.  One  man, 
who  was  outside  of  the  stockade,  was  slightly  wounded,  but  succeeded 
in  gaining  the  shelter  of  the  fort.  The  Indians  then  divided  into  small 
parties  and  began  committing  depredations  against  the  settlers. 

On  July  30th  Captain  Edward  ^^'ard,  commandant  at  Fort  Granville, 
took  part  of  the  garrison  and  went  to  the  Tuscarora  \alle\-  to  guard  the 
settlers  while  they  harvested  their  grain,  leaving  Lieutenant  Edward 
Armstrong  in  command  at  the  fort.   By  that  time  the  enemy's  force  in  the 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  233 

valley  was  estimated  at  about  150  men,  one-third  French  and  the  re- 
mainder Delaware  and  Shawnee  warriors  under  the  command  of  Chiefs 
Shingas  and  Captain  Jacob,  the  whole  detachment  being  under  the  com- 
mand of  a  French  officer.  Shortly  after  the  departure  of  Captain  Ward 
(the  exact  date  is  uncertain)  this  force  attacked  Fort  Granville,  but  were 
met  by  a  heroic  resistance.  After  several  unsuccessful  assaults,  the 
Indians,  under  cover  of  the  ravine,  managed  to  approach  near  enough 
to  set  fire  to  the  stockade.  The  flames  soon  ate  a  large  hole  in  the  de- 
fenses, through  which  the  savages  fired  upon  the  defenders.  While 
trying  to  extinguish  the  fire  Lieutenant  Armstrong  was  killed,  one  sol- 
dier was  also  killed  and  three  others  wounded.  A  demand  was  then 
made  for  the  surrender  of  the  fort,  the  assailants  promising  to  spare 
the  lives  of  all  within.  John  Turner,  one  of  the  garrison,  thereupon 
opened  the  gates  and  the  savages  fairly  swarmed  into  the  fort.  Twenty- 
two  men,  three  women,  and  several  children  were  taken  prisoners  and 
forced  to  carry  the  plunder  to  the  Indian  headquarters  at  Kittanning, 
where  all  were  subject  to  the  most  cruel  treatment  and  Turner,  the 
man  who  had  admitted  the  savage  Ijesiegers  to  the  fort,  was  burned  at 
the  stake. 

The  Indian  atrocities,  which  culminated  in  the  capture  of  Fort  Gran- 
ville, impelled  the  provincial  government  to  adopt  more  vigorous  mea- 
sures for  the  protection  of  the  frontier.  x\ccordingly  a  large  force  was 
fitted  out  for  an  invasion  of  the  Indian  country  and  placed  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  John  Armstrong.  The  companies  of  Captains 
Ward,  ?^Iercer,  Hamilton,  and  Patterson,  from  the  forts  west  of  the 
Susquehanna,  with  such  volunteers  as  could  be  enlisted,  rendezvoused 
at  Fort  Shirley  and  marched  from  there  on  August  30,  1756,  against 
the  Indian  stronghold  at  Kittanning.  At  daybreak  on  September  8th  the 
attack  was  made  with  such  vigor  that  within  a  short  time  the  thirty  huts 
or  lodges  of  the  Indians  were  burned  and  a  large  number  of  the  savages 
killed,  while  the  rest  fled  in  dismay  in  all  directions.  Colonel  Armstrong 
reached  Fort  Littleton  six  days  later,  from  which  point  is  dated  his 
official  report  giving  his  losses  as  17  killed,  13  wounded  and  19  missing. 
Nearly  all  those  wounded  recovered  and  all  but  one  or  two  of  the  miss- 
ing finally  returned  to  their  homes. 

Colonel  Armstrong's  severe  chastisement  had  the  effect  of  causing 
some  of  the  Delawares  to  withdraw  from  the  alliance  with  the  French, 


234  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

but  Captain  Jacob's  band  and  some  others  continued  their  forays  into 
the  white  settlements  until  the  treaty  of  peace  in  1758.  On  October 
15'  1756,  the  governor  notified  the  council  at  Philadelphia  that  he  ordered 
the  evacuation  of  Fort  Shirley  "not  because  the  dangers  against  which 
it  was  intended  to  guard  had  passed  away,  but  because  they  had  increased 
to  such  an  extent  that  it  could  no  longer  be  relied  upon  as  a  protection." 
Some  of  the  settlers  in  the  Juniata  valley  had  left  their  homes  before 
that  time,  and  after  the  evacuation  of  the  only  fort  left  for  their  defense 
others  fled  to  the  more  thickly  settled  districts  along  the  Susquehanna, 
where  they  remained  until  after  peace  was  restored. 

Five  years  later,  in  1763,  the  Ottawa  chief,  Pontiac,  organized  his 
famous  conspiracy  of  all  the  tribes  he  could  persuade  to  join  in  a 
movement  to  invade  the  white  settlements,  just  when  the  settlers  were 
busy  with  their  harvest,  and  with  fire  and  sword  exterminate  the  pale- 
faces. While  the  conspiracy  did  not  attain  to  the  proportions  that 
Pontiac  hoped  and  desired,  there  was  an  uprising  in  many  localities  in 
July,  1763.  On  the  loth  of  that  month  a  band  of  hostile  Indians  ap- 
peared in  the  Tuscarora  valley,  killed  William  White  and  all  his  family 
except  one  boy,  who  escaped  when  he  heard  the  first  shots  fired,  com- 
mitted murders  at  Robert  Campbell's  and  \\^illiam  Anderson's,  burned 
John  Graham's  house  and  destroyed  considerable  property.  Again  the 
settlers  fled  in  terror  from  their  frontier  homes  and  sought  shelter  at 
Carlisle,  Bedford,  Shippensburg,  and  other  places.  A  letter  from  Car- 
lisle dated  August  14,  1763.  to  a  minister  in  Philadelphia  stated  that 
over  seven  hundred  families  in  Cumberland  county,  most  of  them  from 
the  Juniata  valley,  had  abandoned  their  homes  on  account  of  the  Indian 
foray. 

THE      REVOLUTIONARY      WAR 

From  the  time  of  the  Pontiac  war  the  inhabitants  of  the  Juniata 
valley  were  permitted  to  dwell  in  peace  until  the  oppressive  acts  of  the 
English  Parliament,  sanctioned  by  King  George  III.,  drove  the  American 
colonists  to  revolt.  Pennsylvania  was  prompt  in  entering  her  protest 
against  the  unjust  laws  and  edicts  of  the  mother  country.  More  than 
two  years  before  the  adoption  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  a 
"Committee  of  Correspondence  and  Safety"  was  organized  in  the  city 
of  Philadelphia.     In  June,   1774,  this  committee  sent  out  communica- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  235 

tions  to  citizens  in  each  of  the  several  comities  advising  them  that  "on 
account  of  the  Indian  disturbances,  the  Governor  has  found  it  necessary 
to  call  the  Assembly  to  meet  in  their  legislative  capacity  on  Monday, 
July  18,"  recommending  the  appointment  of  committees  in  the  various 
counties,  and  requesting  that  "the  whole  or  a  part  of  the  committee 
appointed  or  to  be  appointed  from  your  county,  will  meet  the  commit- 
tees from  the  other  counties  at  Philadelphia  on  Friday,  the  15th  day  of 
July,  in  order  to  assist  in  framing  instructions  and  preparing  such  mat- 
ters as  may  be  proper  to  recommend  to  our  representatives  at  their 
meeting  on  the  Monday  following." 

Huntingdon  county  was  at  that  time  a  part  of  Bedford  and  the 
counties  of  Mifflin,  Juniata,  and  Perry  constituted  a  portion  of  the 
county  of  Cumberland.  At  a  meeting  of  "freeholders  and  freemen" 
held  at  Carlisle  on  July  12,  1774,  James  Wilson,  Robert  Magaw,  and 
William  Irvine  were  chosen  to  represent  Cumberland  county  in  the 
meeting  of  deputies  at  Philadelphia,  and  George  Woods  represented 
Bedford  county.  When  the  deputies  met  at  Carpenter's  hall,  in  Phila- 
delphia, on  the  15th,  Thomas  Willing  was  chosen  chairman  and  Charles 
Thompson  secretary.  A  series  of  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted, 
the  principal  features  of  which  were  as  follows :  Acknowledging  true 
and  faithful  allegiance  to  King  George  III. ;  declaring  deepest  distress 
and  anxiety  over  the  unhappy  differences  between  Great  Britain  and 
the  colonies ;  that  "the  idea  of  an  unconstitutional  independence  of  the 
parent  state  is  utterly  abhorrent  to  our  principles" ;  that  the  power  to 
bind  the  people  of  the  colonies  by  statutes  in  all  cases  whatsoever  and 
the  act  of  Parliament  in  closing  the  port  of  Boston  were  unconstitu- 
tional, and  "that  there  is  an  absolute  necessity  that  a  Congress  of  depu- 
ties from  the  several  colonies  be  immediately  assembled  to  consult  to- 
gether and  form  a  general  plan  of  conduct  to  be  observed  by  all  the 
colonies,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  relief  for  our  suffering  brethren, 
obtaining  redress  of  our  grievances,  preventing  future  dissensions,  firmly 
establishing  our  rights,  and  restoring  harmony  between  Great  Britain 
and  her  Colonies  on  a  constitutional  foundation." 

The  resolutions  were  referred  to  the  assembly,  with  the  request  "to 
appoint  a  proper  number  of  persons  to  attend  a  Congress  of  Deputies 
from  the  several  Colonies,  at  such  time  and  place  as  may  be  agreed 
upon,  to  effect  one  general  plan  of  conduct  for  attaining  the  important 


236  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

ends  mentioned  in  the  ninth  resolve."  In  response  to  the  request  of 
the  deputies  the  assembly  appointed  Joseph  Galloway  (speaker),  Daniel 
Rhoads,  Thomas  Mifflin,  John  Morton,  Charles  Humphreys,  George 
Ross,  Edward  Biddle,  and  John  Dickinson  "as  delegates  from  Pennsyl- 
vania to  the  Congress  to  be  held  in  Philadelphia  in  September."  Thus  it 
was  that  Pennsylvania  took  the  initiative  in  a  movement  that  two  years 
later  culminated  in  the  colonies  declaring  themselves  free  and  inde- 
pendent. 

On  January  23,  1775,  a  provincial  convention  assembled  in  Phila- 
delphia and  continued  in  session  for  six  days.  Cumberland  county 
was  represented  by  James  Wilson  and  Robert  Magaw,  but  Bedford 
county  sent  no  delegate.  Again  the  people  of  Pennsylvania,  through 
their  delegates,  spoke  in  no  uncertain  terms  regarding  the  relations  with 
the  mother  country,  the  convention  adopting  resolutions  in  favor  of 
restricting  trade  with  England  and  the  manufacture  of  various  articles 
at  home. 

At  the  session  in  May,  1775,  the  Continental  Congress  resolved  to 
recruit  an  army,  of  which  Pennsylvania's  quota  was  4,300  men.  The 
assembly  promptly  recommended  to  the  commissioners  of  the  several 
counties  of  the  province,  "as  they  regarded  the  freedom,  welfare,  and 
safety  of  their  country,  tt)  provide  arms  and  accoutrements  for  this 
force,"  and  directed  the  officers  of  the  military  associations  "to  select 
a  number  of  minute  men,  equal  to  the  number  of  arms  which  can  be 
procured,  who  shall  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  march  at  the  short- 
est notice  to  any  quarter,  in  case  of  emergency,"  etc.  To  assist  in 
carrying  out  these  measures,  a  Committee  of  Safety,  consisting  of 
twenty-five  persons,  was  appointed  on  June  30.  1775.  On  this  commit- 
tee Cumberland  county  was  represented  by  John  Montgomery  and  Bed- 
ford by  Bernard  Dougherty.  The  committee  organized  on  the  3d  of 
July  by  the  election  of  Benjamin  Franklin  as  president  and  William 
Garrett,  secretary.  About  two  weeks  before  the  appointment  of  the 
committee  (June  14,  1775)  Congress  directed  that  eight  companies  of 
expert  riflemen  should  be  organized  and  equipped  for  the  purpose  of 
joining  the  army  near  Boston.  Two  of  these  companies  were  assigned 
to  Virginia,  two  to  Maryland,  and  the  remaining  six  to  Pennsylvania. 
On  the  22nd  Pennsylvania  was  directed  to  "raise  two  more  companies, 
making  eight  in  all,  which  were  to  be  formed  into  a  battalion."     Linn 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  237 

says:  "Within  ten  days  after  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill 
had  reached  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania,  her  first  rifle  regiment  was 
officered  and  completed,  many  of  the  eight  companies  numbering  one 
hundred  men.  It  was  commanded  by  Colonel  William  Thompson,  of 
Cumberland  county.  The  companies  were  severally  under  the  command 
of  Captains  James  Chambers,  Robert  Cluggage,  Michael  Doudle,  Wil- 
liam Hendricks,  John  Lowdon,  James  Ross,  Matthew  Smith,  and  George 
Nagel." 

Lancaster  county  subsequently  added  another  company,  which  in- 
creased the  battalion  to  nine  companies.  Captain  Cluggage's  company 
was  enlisted  chiefly  in  Bedford  county,  a  number  of  the  men  coming 
from  that  part  which  now  comprises  the  county  of  Huntingdon.  The 
roster  of  this  company  was  as   follows : 

Captain,  Robert  Cluggage;  First  Lieutenant,  John  Holliday;  Second 
Lieutenant,  Robert  McKenzie;  Third  Lieutenant,  Benjamin  Burd; 
Sergeants,  James  Holliday,  Daniel  Stoy,  Oierinus  Meriner,  David 
Wright ;  Corporals,  Angus  McDonald,  Joseph  McKenzie,  William  Lee, 
Aquila  White;  Drummer,  Timothy  Sullivan;  Privates,  Adam  An- 
derson, Philip  Beckey,  John  Bowman,  Thaddeus  Broughdon,  Thomas 
Brown,  George  Bruner,  John  Campbell,  Thomas  Casek,  Stephen 
Cessna,  Patrick  Clark,  Philip  Conner,  James  Carrowan,  Joshua 
Craig,  John  Crips,  Alexander  Crugen,  Thomas  Cunningham,  James 
Curran,  John  Davis,  Cornelius  Dilling,  William  Donelin,  Mat- 
thew Dougherty,  Lawrence  Dowling,  Daniel  Franks,  George  Free- 
man, Amariah  Garrett,  Daniel  Gemberland,  Reuben  Gillespy,  Rich- 
ard Hardister,  Conrad  Hanning,  Francis  Jamison,  Andrew  Johnston, 
Matthias  Judry,  John  Kelly,  Peter  King,  James  Knight,  William  Laird, 
Charles  Lenning,  Robert  Leonard,  John  Lesley,  Henry  McCartney,  Dan- 
iel McClain,  John  McCune,  John  McDonald,  Patrick  McDonald,  Thomas 
McFarlane,  Thomas  Magee,  Daniel  Mangum,  Michael  Miller,  Robert 
Piatt,  John  Pitts,  Samuel  Plumb,  Martin  Reynolds,  Daniel  Rhoads, 
Philip  Ritchie,  Thomas  Shehan,  Francis  Shives,  Alexander  Simonton, 
Emanuel  Smith,  Henry  Smith,  Daniel  Stoy,  John  Stuart,  Jonathan  Tay- 
lor, John  Thompson,  James  Turmoil,  Andrew  Tweed,  James  Vanzant, 
Daniel  Vanderslice,  Thomas  Vaughn,  Alexander  Wilson,  George  Whit- 
man, Samuel  Woodward,  Samuel  Wallace,  Solomon  W^alker,  James 
\\'arford,  and  Thomas  Ward. 


238  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Robert  McKenzie  died  on  February  12,  1776,  and  Benjamin  Burd 
was  promoted  to  second  lieutenant.  On  September  25,  1776,  Congress 
appointed  Captain  James  Ross  to  the  position  of  major  and  Captain 
Cluggage,  learning  that  a  junior  captain  had  been  promoted  over  him, 
resigned  on  the  6th  of  October.  Following  is  the  roster  of  Captain 
Hendrick's  company : 

Captain,  William  Hendricks ;  First  Lieutenant,  John  McClellan ; 
Second  Lieutenant,  Francis  Nichols;  Third  Lieutenant,  George  Francis; 
Sergeants,  Thomas  Gibson,  Henry  Crone,  Joseph  Greer,  and  William 
McCoy ;  Privates,  Edward  Agnew,  George  Albright,  Thomas  Anderson, 
John  Blair,  Philip  Boker,  Alexander  Burns,  Peter  Burns,  William  Burns, 
John  Campbell,  Daniel  Carlisle,  Roger  Casey,  Joseph  Caskey,  John 
Chambers,  Thomas  Cooke,  John  Corswill,  John  Cove,  John  Craig,  Mat- 
thew Cummings,  Arthur  Eckles,  Peter  Frainer,  Francis  Furlow,  John 
Gardner,  William  Gommel,  Daniel  Graham.  James  Greer,  Thomas  Greer, 
John  Hardy,  John  Henderson,  Elijah  Herdy,  James  Hogge,  James  In- 
load,  Dennis  Kelley,  William  Kirkpatrick.  David  Lamb,  Thomas  Lesley, 
John  Lorain,  Richard  Lynch,  Daniel  McClellan,  Richard  McClure,  Henry 
McCormick,  Henry  McEwen,  Archibald  McFarlane,  Barnabas  Mc- 
Guire,  John  McLin.  John  McCurdy,  Jacob  Mason,  Philip  Maxwell, 
George  Morrison,  George  Morrow,  Edward  Morton,  Thomas  Murdoch, 
Daniel  North,  Daniel  O'Hara,  W^illiam  O'Hara.  John  Ray.  James  Reed, 
George  Rinehart,  Edward  Rodden,  William  Shannon,  William  Smith, 
William  Snell,  Robert  Steel,  Abraham  Swaggerty,  Hugh  Sweeney, 
Edward  Sweeny,  Matthew  Taylor,  Henry  Turpentine.  Thomas  Wither- 
of,  Joseph  Wright,  and  Michael  Young. 

The  members  of  this  company  were  all  from  Cumlierland  county, 
most  of  them  from  that  section  now  comprising  the  comities  of  Mifflin, 
Juniata,  and  Perry.  It  left  Carlisle  on  July  15,  1775,  went  into  camp  at 
Cambridge  on  August  8th,  where  it  was  assigned  to  Colonel  Thompson's 
command,  but  on  the  5th  of  September  was  ordered  to  join  General 
Benedict  Arnold  on  the  expedition  against  Quebec.  Lieutenant  John 
IMcClellan  died  on  November  3,  1775,  while  on  the  march  through  the 
wilderness ;  Captain  Hendricks  was  killed  in  the  assault  on  the  palace 
gate  at  Quebec,  January  i,  1776,  when  most  of  the  men  belonging  to 
the  company  were  captured.  Some  of  them  were  exchanged  the  follow- 
ing autumn,  but  others  were  held  prisoners  until  the  spring  of  1777.   The 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  239 

greater  portion  of  them  reentered  the  service  and  remained  in  the  army 
until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Colonel  Thompson's  battalion  reached  Boston  about  the  last  of  Au- 
gust, 1775,  and  was  stationed  first  on  Prospect  Hill,  later  on  Cobble 
Hill.  It  was  designated  the  Second  regiment  (after  January  i,  1776,  the 
First  regiment)  "of  the  army  of  the  United  Colonies,  commanded  by 
His  Excellency  George  Washington,  Esquire,  general  and  commander- 
in-chief."  Thacher's  Military  Journal  of  the  Revolution  thus  describes 
the  men  of  the  battalion :  "They  are  remarkably  stout  and  hardy  men, 
many  of  them  exceeding  six  feet  in  height.  They  are  dressed  in  rifle 
shirts  and  round  hats.  These  men  are  remarkable  for  the  accuracy  of 
their  aim,  striking  a  mark  with  great  certainty  at  two  hundred  yards' 
distance.  At  a  review,  a  company  of  them,  while  on  a  quick  advance, 
fired  their  balls  into  objects  of  seven  inch  diameter,  at  a  distance  of  two- 
hundred  and  fifty  yards.  They  are  now  stationed  on  our  lines  and  their 
shot  have  frequently  proved  fatal  to  British  officers  and  soldiers  who 
exposed  themselves  to  view,  even  at  more  than  doul)le  the  distance  of 
common  musket  shot." 

Such  was  the  character  of  the  soldiers  furnished  by  the  Juniata 
valley  to  the  Continental  army  in  the  War  of  Independence.  The  esti- 
mation in  which  these  frontiersmen  were  held  by  General  Washington 
is  shown  by  his  letter  from  New  York  to  the  president  of  the  Continental 
Congress,  under  date  of  April  22,  1776,  in  which  he  said  :  "The  time  for 
which  the  riflemen  enlisted  will  expire  on  the  ist  of  July  next,  and,  as 
the  loss  of  such  a  valuable  and  brave  body  of  men  will  be  of  great  injury 
to  the  service,  I  would  submit  it  to  the  consideration  of  Congress  whether 
it  would  not  be  best  to  adopt  some  method  to  induce  them  to  continue. 
They  are,  indeed,  a  very  useful  corps,  but  I  need  not  mention  this  as 
their  importance  is  already  known  to  the  Congress." 

On  July  I,  1776,  the  first  term  of  enlistment  having  expired,  the 
riflemen  reenlisted  for  two  years,  which  was  later  changed  to  "during  the 
war,"  and  the  organization  was  then  designated  as  the  First  regiment  of 
the  Pennsylvania  line  in  the  Continental  service. 

Colonel  William  Irvine  was  commissioned  in  January,  1776,  as  com- 
mander of  the  Sixth  Pennsylvania  battalion.  In  Captain  Robert  Adams' 
company  of  that  battalion  William  Bratton,  a  resident  of  what  is  now 
Alifflin  county,  was  first  lieutenant.     Later  he  became  captain  of  a  com- 


240  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

pail}',  most  of  the  members  of  which  came  from  the  territory  now  in- 
cluded in  the  counties  of  JVIifitlin,  Juniata,  and  Perry.  Following  is  the 
roster  of  the  company  : 

Captain,  William  Bratton ;  Lieutenant,  Thomas  McCoy ;  Ensign, 
William  Armstrong;  Sergeants,  Amos  Chapman,  Thomas  Giles,  and 
Timothy  O'Neal;  Drummer,  Edward  Steen;  Fifer,  John  Waun ;  Pri- 
vates, John  Beatty,  William  Carman,  Patrick  Carter,  John  Daily,  Daniel 
Dunnivan,  Edward  Edgarton,  James  Elliott,  Henr\r  German,  Thomas 
Giles,  Michael  Gilmore.  David  Hall,  Francis  Henry,  James  Higgins, 
Fergus  Lee,  Peter  Lloyd.  Richard  Lowden.  Gilbert  McCay,  Neal  AIc- 
Cay,  Patrick  McDonald.  John  McGeghan,  John  ^IcKean,  Peter  ^lartin, 
F""ergus  Moore,  John  Prent,  William  Redstone,  Peter  Rooney,  John 
Ryan,  Patrick  Shockey,  James  Simonton,  Thomas  Simonton,  and  John 
Taylor. 

The  battalion  was  reorganized  at  Carlisle  on  ^March  15,  1777,  when 
the  men  reenlisted  for  three  years  and  the  organization  became  the  Sev- 
enth Pennsylvania  regiment  of  the  Continental  line.  The  men  compos- 
ing it  were  paid  off  and  discharged  at  Carlisle  in  April,  1781.  Captain 
Bratton  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Germantown  and  a  township  of 
Mifflin  county  is  named  in  his  honor. 

A  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  Continental  Congress  on  July  18, 
1775,  recommending  that  "all  able-bodied,  effective  men  between  the 
sixteen  and  fifty  years  of  age  should  immediately  form  themseh'es  into 
companies  of  militia,  to  consist  of  one  captain,  two  lieutenants,  one  en- 
sign, four  sergeants,  four  corporals,  one  clerk,  one  drummer,  one  fifer, 
and  about  sixty-eight  privates :  the  companies  to  be  formed  into  regi- 
ments or  battalions,  officered  with  a  colonel,  lieutenant-colonel,  two  ma- 
jors, and  an  adjutant  or  quartermaster;  all  officers  above  the  rank  of 
captain  to  be  appointed  by  the  provincial  authorities." 

Pursuant  to  this  recommendation,  that  portion  of  Cumberland  county 
which  now  forms  the  county  of  Perry  furnished  the  greater  portion  of 
the  Seventh  battalion,  Cumberland  county  militia,  commanded  by  Colonel 
Frederick  Watts.  Colonel  Watts  was  born  in  \\'^ales  in  17 19.  came  to 
America  about  1760  and  two  years  later  located  in  what  is  now  ^^'heat- 
field  township.  Perry  county,  his  farm  bordering  on  the  Juniata  river. 
He  died  there  on  October  3.  1795.  His  battalion  consisted  of  eight  com- 
panies, commanded  by  Captains  James  Fisher,  James  Power,  ^\'illiam 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNL\TA    VALLEY  241 

Sanderson,  William  Blain,  Frederick  Taylor,  Edward  Graham,  John 
Buchanan,  and  Thomas  Clark.  Samuel  Ross  was  lieutenant-colonel  of 
the  battalion,  and  David  Mitchell  was  major.  No  complete  roster  of  the 
organization  can  be  found,  but  it  is  known  that  the  command  consisted 
of  forty-five  officers  and  465  enlisted  men.  The  battalion,  or  a  part  of 
it,  "went  on  a  tour  of  duty  early  in  1776,"  the  records  showing  that 
an  order  was  issued  "for  money  to  be  sent  to  Colonel  Frederick  Watts, 
to  be  used  for  defraying  the  expense  of  forwarding  his  men  to  camp," 
etc.  He  was  present  and  was  captured  at  the  surrender  of  Fort  Wash- 
ington, November  16,  1776,  but  was  soon  afterward  exchanged  and 
returned  home. 

In  addition  to  the  Juniata  valley  men  in  the  above  mentioned  organi- 
zations, there  were  a  number  from  the  valley  in  various  other  commands. 
In  fact,  the  territory  included  in  the  four  counties  treated  in  this  work 
were  represented  in  almost  every  regiment  of  the  Pennsylvania  line.  As 
late  as  1820  there  were  thirty-two  pensioners  of  the  Revolution  residing 
within  the  limits  of  Huntingdon  county:  a  number  of  veterans  settled  in 
Mifflin  county  after  the  war;  nineteen  were  residents  of  Perry  county 
some  vears  after  the  independence  of  the  United  States  became  an  estab- 
lished fact,  and  there  were  fourteen  pensioners  living  in  Juniata  county 
in  1840,  one  of  them,  Emanuel  Ebbs,  of  Fayette  township,  being  at  that 
time  one  hundred  and  six  years  of  age.  John  Graham,  Avho  was  one  of 
the  seventeen  men  who  came  out  with  General  Anthony  Wayne  from 
the  attack  on  Stony  Point,  settled  on  a  farm  in  Wayne  township,  Mifflin 
county,  and  there  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Thomas  Brown,  a 
\'eteran  of  Perry  county,  provided  in  his  will  "for  the  reading  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  over  his  open  grave,  after  which  a  minister 
was  to  pray  for  him  and  his  beloved  country." 

During  the  Revolution  no  regular  English  troops  invaded  the  Juniata 
valley  but  the  fact  that  so  many  of  the  settlers  had  left  their  homes  to 
battle  for  the  cause  of  liberty  awakened  fears  that  the  British  would 
incite  the  Indians  to  attack  the  weakened  frontier.  Then  there  were  the 
Tories.  The  terms  U'liig  and  Tory  were  introduced  at  the  time  the  port 
of  Boston  was  closed  by  an  act  of  the  British  Parliament,  the  former 
being  applied  to  those  who  sympathized  with  the  Boston  people  and  op- 
posed the  act  of  Parliament  and  the  latter  to  describe  those  who  upheld 
Great  Britain  in  her  efforts  to  subjugate  the  colonies.    Lytle  says  :  "That 


242  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

part  of  Bedford  which  now  constitutes  Huntingdon  county  was  the 
center  of  tory  strength  and  activity.  The  disaffected  element  was  scat- 
tered over  all  parts  of  it  but  existed  principally  at  Huntingdon,  on  Stone 
creek,  Shaver's  creek,  the  Raystown  Branch  and  the  Aughwick,  and  in 
Canoe,  Woodcock  and  Hare's  valleys." 

No  serious  trouble  occurred  on  the  frontier  until  the  spring  of  1778. 
The  Tories  in  the  vicinity  mentioned  by  Lytle  conceived  the  idea  of 
gathering  a  large  force  of  Tories  and  Indians  at  Kittanning,  from  which 
jjoint  they  \\'ould  march  eastward  through  the  Cumberland  and  Juniata 
valleys,  killing  and  plundering  the  inhabitants  along  the  line  of  march, 
sparing  only  those  families  that  displayed  the  Tory  flag.  Secret  meet- 
ings were  held  at  the  house  of  the  Tory  leader,  John  ^^'eston,  in  Canoe 
valley  west  of  Water  Street.  Jacob  Hare,  whose  home  was  near  Maple- 
ton,  and  a  man  named  jNIcKee,  from  Amberson  valley,  were  active  in 
promoting  the  expedition.  Late  in  April  some  thirty-tive  men  assembled 
at  Weston's  house  and  started  for  Ivittanning.  The  fate  of  the  enterprise 
is  well  told  in  a  letter  from  Colonel  John  Piper,  of  Bedford,  to  the 
supreme  executive  council,  under  date  of  May  4,  1778.  "They  came 
up,"  says  Colonel  Piper,  "with  a  body  of  Indians  near  or  at  the  Kittan- 
nings,  and  in  conferring  with  them,  they,  the  Indians,  suspecting  some 
design  in  the  white  people,  on  w'ch  one  of  their  Chiefs  shot  one  \Veston, 
who  was  the  Ring-leader  of  the  Tories,  and  scalped  him  before  the  Rest, 
and  immediateh'  (as  if  Divine  Providence,  ever  attentive  to  Baffle  and 
defeat  the  Schemes  and  Measures  of  wicked  Men)  the  rest  fled  and  dis- 
persed." 

A  company  of  loyal  citizens  followed  the  Weston  party  and  succeeded 
in  capturing  five  of  the  Tories,  who  were  lodged  in  jail  at  Bedford. 
Those  who  escaped  never  returned  to  the  Juniata  valley.  Some  went  to 
Fort  Pitt  (Pittsburgh),  whence  they  went  south  and  were  later  joined 
by  their  families.  In  his  flight  Jacob  Hare  stopped  for  the  night  with 
a  Tory  friend  near  the  village  of  Concord.  Learning  of  his  identity,  the 
neighbors  surrounded  the  house  and  took  him  into  custody.  After  dis- 
cussing various  methods  of  punishment  it  was  finally  decided  to  cut  off 
his  ears  and  turn  him  loose.  Professor  Guss  says  that  "William  Dar- 
lington, taking  a  case-knife  with  a  hacked  blade,  executed  the  sentence 
by  sawing  off  both  his  ears  close  to  his  head."  The  failure  of  the  Weston 
expedition  ended  the  fears  of  a  Tory  invasion,  but  from  the  Indians 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  243 

there  was  always  imminent  danger.  As  a  means  of  protection  a  number 
of  forts  were  established  along  the  border. 

An  old  French  map  of  1758  shows  "Fort  Standen  Stone."  where  the 
city  of  Huntingdon  is  now  located,  but  the  existence  of  a  military  post 
there  at  that  time  is  extremely  problematical.  The  commission  appointed 
by  the  state  to  locate  the  frontier  forts  says  that  Fort  Standing  Stone 
was  built  in  1762,  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek  of  the  same  name,  near  the 
junction  of  Penn  and  Second  streets  in  the  borough  of  Huntingdon. 
13efore  it  was  finished  the  Pontiac  war  so  frightened  the  settlers  that 
they  fled  to  Carlisle.  At  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution  the  fort  was 
rebuilt  on  a  more  elaborate  scale  and  it  was  "the  only  reliable  place  of 
refuge  for  the  people  residing  as  far  west  as  the  Allegheny  mountains." 

Fort  Anderson,  built  in  1778,  was  situated  on  Shaver's  creek  near  the 
mouth,  "directly  across  the  creek  from  Petersburg  along  the  road  leading 
to  Alexandria."  It  was  named  for  Samuel  Anderson,  who  was  regarded 
as  the  most  active  and  energetic  man  in  the  Shaver's  creek  settlement 
during  the  Revolution. 

Fort  Hartsog  (or  Hartsock's  fort)  was  built  about  1778  for  the  de- 
fense of  the  settlers  in  the  Woodcock  valley.  It  stood  not  far  from 
Marklesburg,  "on  the  brow  of  a  hill  about  150  feet  east  of  the  road  from 
Marklesburg  to  Huntingdon. 

McAlvey's  fort,  also  built  about  1778,  was  a  blockhouse  which 
stood  on  a  bluff  overlooking  the  Standing  Stone  creek  in  the  northeast- 
ern corner  of  Huntingdon  county  and  not  far  from  the  present  village 
of  that  name.  It  was  named  for  Captain  William  McAlevy,  one  of  the 
first  settlers  in  that  region  and  one  of  the  most  active  patriots  at  the  time 
of  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Another  frontier  fort  was  Alexander  McCormick's  house  near  Neff's 
]\Iills.  \Mien  rumors  of  an  Indian  uprising  grew  rife  in  the  spring  of 
1778,  the  people  of  Stone  valley  determined  to  build  a  fort  and  Mr.  Mc- 
Cormick  agreed  to  permit  his  house  to  be  used  for  that  purpose.  It  was 
accordingly  put  in  a  state  of  defense,  the  walls  pierced  by  loopholes,  etc., 
and  formed  the  principal  rallying  point  for  the  settlement. 

Crum's  fort,  supposed  to  have  been  built  about  the  same  time  as  Mc- 
Cormick's, was  located  a  short  distance  northeast  of  Manor  Hill  and 
formed  another  place  of  refuge  for  the  people  of  Stone  valley.  But 
little  can  be  learned  of  this  fort. 


244  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Fort  Lytle,  whose  history  is  also  somewhat  obscure,  was  situated  in 
what  is  now  Porter  township,  Huntingdon  county,  and  formed  the  prin- 
cipal defense  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  Hartslog  valley. 

Fort  Lowry,  three  miles  southwest  of  Water  Street,  and  Fort  Rob- 
erdeau  in  Sinking  valley,  although  in  Blair  county,  were  important  posts 
in  protecting  the  Juniata  valley  from  Indian  forays.  Both  were  built  in 
1778.  General  Daniel  Roberdeau,  then  a  member  of  Congress,  obtained 
a  leave  of  absence  to  visit  the  valley  for  the  purpose  of  mining  lead  ore 
for  the  Continental  army.  To  protect  his  workmen  a  stockade  was 
built,  which  was  called  Fort  Roberdeau.  Lead  ore  could  not  be  found 
in  sufficient  quantities  to  justify  the  mining  operations,  but  the  stockade 
remained  and  was  used  by  the  settlers  as  a  place  of  refuge. 

Few  of  these  frontier  forts  were  built  by  provincial  authority  or 
furnished  with  regular  garrisons.  They  were  merely  places  of  shelter 
erected  by  the  settlers  themselves,  but  they  served  the  purpose  of  holding 
the  Indians  in  abeyance  and  lessening  the  danger  of  invasion. 

The  surrender  of  General  Cornwallis'  army  of  more  than  7,000  men 
at  Yorktown,  October  19,  1781,  practically  ended  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Preliminary  articles  of  peace  between  Great  Britain  and  the  American 
colonies  were  agreed  to  on  November  30,  1782,  and  by  the  treaty  of 
Paris,  which  was  concluded  on  September  3,  1783,  Great  Britain  ac- 
knowledged the  independence  of  the  United  States  of  America.  Then, 
with  the  exception  of  a  little  excitement  over  the  "Whiskey  Insurrec- 
tion" in  1794,  the  people  of  the  Juniata  valley  were  not  disturbed  by 
"war's  rude  alarums"  until 

THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

The  immediate  cause  of  the  War  of  1812 — the  second  war  with 
Great  Britain — grew  out  of  England's  policy  of  searching  .American 
ships  and  impressing  seamen  under  the  plea  that  they  were  British  sub- 
jects. For  }ears  the  United  States  protested  against  the  so-called  "right 
of  search,"  but  the  protests  were  ignored.  Although  war  was  not  for- 
mally declared  by  Congress  until  June  18,  1812,  President  INIadison  had 
before  that  time  taken  steps  to  place  the  country  upon  a  war  footing.  In 
181 1  Congress  was  convened  a  month  earlier  than  usual  and  promptly 
responded  to  the  measures  adopted  by  the  President  by  authorizing  a  call 
for   100,000  volunteers,   Pennsylvania's  cjuota  being  fixed    for    14,000 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  245 

men.  On  May  12,  1812,  Governor  Simon  Snyder  issued  a  call  for 
14,000  militia.  In  his  proclamation  he  expressed  the  hope  that  the  state 
would  volunteer  her  quota,  and  Egle  says:  "Such  was  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  hour  that  in  response  to  the  governor's  call  three  times  as  many 
troops  tendered  their  services  as  were  required.  The  disappointment 
of  some  was  so  great  that  money  was  freely  offered  to  secure  a  place 
among  those  accepted  by  the  authorities." 

At  that  time  the  counties  of  Huntingdon,  Mifflin  and  Centre  consti- 
tuted the  Eleventh  militia  district,  the  quota  of  which  under  the  call 
was  686  men.  Juniata  county  was  then  a  part  of  Mifflin,  and  Perry  was 
a  part  of  Cumberland.  On  May  4,  1812,  eight  days  before  Governor 
Snyder  issued  his  call,  and  more  than  a  month  before  the  formal  declara- 
tion of  war.  Captain  Robert  Allison's  company,  the  "Huntingdon  Vol- 
unteers," voted  unanimously  "to  tender  their  services  to  the  president  in 
the  then  impending  war  with  Great  Britain." 

Notwithstanding  troops  were  called  for  in  May,  no  companies  left 
the  Juniata  valley  until  the  following  September.  According  to  an  old 
diary  of  Captain  iVllison.  his  company  consisted  of  forty-one  privates, 
with  the  following  officers  :  Captain,  Robert  Allison ;  First  Lieutenant, 
Jacob  Miller;  Second  Lieutenant,  Henry  Swoope;  Ensign,  Samuel 
Swoope;  First  Sergeant,  Henry  Miller.  Captain  Allison  received  his 
commission  on  August  22,  1812,  and  on  September  7th  the  company  left 
Huntingdon  for  Buffalo,  where  it  arrived  on  October  2d,  "after  a  march 
of  331  miles  without  tents."  At  Buffalo  it  was  attached  to  a  New  York 
regiment  commanded  by  a  Colonel  McClure,  whom  Captain  Allison 
refers  to  as  "an  Irish  Democrat  from  New  York  and  a  very  clever  man." 

On  Tune  9-  1812,  Moses  Canan,  captain  of  a  company  called  the 
"Juniata  Volunteers,"  a  light  infantry  organization  at  Alexandria  and 
attached  to  the  One  Hundred  and  Nineteenth  regiment,  tendered  his 
companv  to  the  governor.  Shortly  afterward  Captain  Isaac  Vande- 
vander,  commander  of  a  company  of  riflemen  at  McConnellstown,  Hunt- 
ingdon county,  and  Jacob  Vanderbelt,  captain  of  a  rifle  company  in  the 
same  countv,  offered  the  services  of  their  respective  companies.  In  gen- 
eral orders  dated  August  25th  and  September  5th,  Governor  Snyder 
accepted  these  companies,  and  on  September  nth  they  left  Alexandria 
for  ]\leadville,  where  they  joined  other  commands  bound  for  Niagara. 

Captain  John  McGarry's  company  of  fifty-nine  men,  from  that  part 


246  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

of  Mifflin  county  which  is  now  Juniata,  left  Mifflintown  on  September  8, 
1812,  for  Meadville.  This  company  belonged  to  the  First  brigade  of  the 
Eleventh  militia  division.  The  next  day  the  "Thompsontown  Blues" 
started  for  the  front.  In  the  Long  Narrows  they  were  met  by  a  number 
of  Lewistown  citizens  and  Captain  Milliken's  Troop  of  Horse  and  es- 
corted to  the  county  seat,  where  their  reception  amounted  to  an  ovation. 
On  the  morning  of  the  loth  they  continued  their  march  toward  Mead- 
ville and  at  Pottersville  were  met  by  a  company  from  Aaronsburg,  Cen- 
tre county.  No  roster  or  muster  roll  of  these  companies  can  be  found  in 
the  Pennsylvania  Archives. 

The  following  call  was  published  in  the  Juniata  Gazette  (now  the 
Lewistown  Gazette)  of  September  11,  1812:  "The  members  of  Cap- 
tain Milliken's  Troop  of  Horse  are  requested  to  meet  at  the  house  of 
Alexander  Reed  on  Saturday,  the  19th  inst.  All  those  persons  desirous 
of  serving  their  country  are  earnestly  invited  to  come  forward  and  join 
the  troop." 

No  roster  of  Captain  Milliken's  company  has  been  preserved,  but  it 
is  known  that  it  went  to  Meadville  and  from  there  to  Buffalo  with  a 
number  of  other  commands  from  the  Juniata  valley.  The  term  of  ser- 
vice of  these  first  companies  must  have  been  rather  short,  as  the  Juniata 
Gazette  of  December  25,  1812,  announces  the  return  unhurt  (  !)  of  all 
those  who  had  marched  from  Mifflin  county  to  the  border. 

In  the  military  operations  about  Niagara  during  the  summer  and 
fall  of  18 12  the  American  troops  were  at  iirst  under  the  command  of 
General  Van  Rensselaer.  The  conduct  of  the  New  York  militia  at 
Oueenstown  and  other  places  so  discouraged  him  that  he  resigned  his 
command  and  was  succeeded  by  General  Alexander  Smyth.  It  was  not 
long  before  Smyth  was  charged  with  incompetency,  disloyalty  and  cow- 
ardice and  a  mutiny  broke  out  among  the  soldiers,  in  which  the  Penn- 
sylvania militia  was  especially  active.  Within  three  months  Smyth  was 
removed,  but  when  the  Juniata  boys  returned  home  in  December  they  had 
rather  unpleasant  stories  to  tell  of  their  military  service.  Linn's  "Annals 
of  the  Buffalo  Valley"  says :  "They  give  different  accounts  of  the  pro- 
ceedings at  Black  Rock,  but  all  say  that  they  came  off  without  being 
discharged,  and  all  agree  that  General  Smythe  has  acted  the  part  of  a 
traitor." 

The  unfortunate  experience  of  the  first  volunteers,  together  with  the 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  247 

removal  of  the  seat  of  war  farther  from  the  interior,  had  a  tendency  to 
abate  the  mihtary  enthusiasm,  so  that  when  a  caU  was  made  for  more 
troops  in  1S13  the  response  was  not  as  prompt  as  in  the  preceding  year. 
A  number  of  companies  were  raised  by  draft,  two  of  them  from  Hunt- 
ingdon county.  The  officers  of  the  first  of  these  two  companies  were : 
Wilham  iVIorris,  captain;  Daniel  Weaver,  first  lieutenant;  William  Is- 
grigg,  second  lieutenant;  Cornelius  Crum,  third  lieutenant;  William 
Love,  ensign;  Alexander  Cresswell,  Henry  Newingham,  John  Stratton, 
Joseph  Metzbaugh,  William  Wilson,  John  Brotherland,  and  Joseph  Esk- 
ley,  sergeants.  Lieutenant  Crum  resigned  on  June  5th,  when  Ensign 
Love  was  promoted  to  the  vacancy,  and  on  the  same  date  Alexander 
Cresswell  was  made  orderly  sergeant.  The  muster  roll  of  this  company 
shows  eighty-one  privates.  The  other  drafted  company  from  Hunting- 
don county  was  officered  as  follows:  Captain,  Edmund  Tipton;  First 
Lieutenant,  John  McCabe;  Second  Lieutenant,  Isaac  Vantrees;  Third 
Lieutenant,  John  Cox ;  Fourth  Lieutenant,  Christian  Deulinger ;  Ensign, 
Patrick  Madden ;  Sergeants,  John  Calderwood,  Benjamin  McCune,  Jesse 
Moore,  Peter  Hewit,  Jacob  Shafer.  Seventy-seven  privates  were  en- 
rolled in  this  company. 

Captain  Matthew  Rodgers'  company,  of  Mifflin  county,  was  mus- 
tered into  the  United  States  service  on  May  5,  1813,  and  served  to  Sep- 
tember 17,  1813,  in  the  regiment  commanded  by  Colonel  Reese  Hill. 
This  company  consisted  of  eighty-seven  privates  and  the  following  offi- 
cers :  Captain,  Matthew  Rodgers ;  First  Lieutenant,  James  Crisswell ; 
Second  Lieutenant,  John  McCoy;  Third  Lieutenant,  Michael  Holman; 
Ensign,  Robert  U.  Elliott;  Sergeants,  W^illiam  Butler,  Samuel  McKil- 
lips,  James  Dunn,  Samuel  Edmiston,  William  Robb,  and  Samuel  Craw- 
ford.   There  were  also  a  drummer,  a  fifer,  and  four  corporals. 

When  Commodore  Perry,  late  in  July,  called  for  volunteers  to  serve 
on  board  his  fleet  on  Lake  Erie,  sixteen  men  from  Captain  Rodgers' 
company  answered  the  call.  They  were  Ensign  Elliott,  Corporal  Rich- 
ard Fear,  Fielding  Alford,  John  Adams,  William  Allen,  William  Henry, 
Henry  Hoyt,  Neal  Leyman,  Alexander  Metlin,  James  Mitchell,  John 
Rice  (said  to  have  been  the  last  survivor  of  Perry's  force),  James  Sims, 
Daniel  Swisher,  Samuel  Sweezy,  William  Shuler  and  Jacob  Tool. 

The  story  of  Perry's  victory  has  been  told  and  retold  in  historv,  but 
it  is  not  generally  known  that  two  INIififiin  county  boys  rowed  the  boat 


248  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

that  carried  Commodore  Perry  from  one  ship  to  another  wliile  the  battle 
was  raging.  Alexander  iletlin  and  Jacob  Tool  were  from  the  ferry  at 
Mifflintown,  where  they  had  developed  considerable  skill  in  rowing. 
\\'hen  the  Lawrence  was  disabled  the  two  young  men  were  called  upon 
to  row  their  intrepid  commander  to  the  Niagara  and  succeeded  in  per- 
forming the  hazardous  feat  under  a  heavy  fire  from  the  British  guns. 
One  shot  struck  the  little  boat,  tearing  a  great  hole  in  its  side,  but  Perry 
whipped  off  his  coat  and  stopped  the  leak,  thus  enabling  them  to  reach 
the  Niagara  in  safety.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  expert  manner  in  which 
Metlin  and  Tool  handled  their  oars  the  famous  despatch — "We  have 
met  the  enemy  and  they  are  ours" — might  never  have  been  written.  Nor 
is  it  generally  known  that  James  Sims,  another  Juniata  county  volunteer, 
was  the  first  man  to  board  the  British  vessel.  Queen  Charlotte,  after  her 
surrender,  receiving  therefor  the  reward  of  five  hundred  dollars. 

In  the  winter  of  1813-14  a  company  was  organized  in  r^Iifflin  county 
by  Captain  Andrew  Bratton,  but  no  record  of  its  service  can  be  found. 
A  letter  from  James  Trimble,  dated  at  the  oftice  of  the  secretary  of  the 
commonwealth,  January  2,  1814,  to  Captain  Bratton,  refers  to  the  organ- 
ization as  a  "company  of  volunteer  riflemen."  and  states  that  at  that  time 
the  state's  quota  was  full.  The  letter  further  states  that  "Before  com- 
missions can  be  obtained  it  should  appear  that  the  company  has  been 
organized  and  the  officers  elected  in  conformity  with  the  fourth  section 
of  the  Militia  law,"  etc. 

Several  companies  were  recruited  along  the  Juniata  river  in  18 14. 
Early  in  that  year  Governor  Snyder  called  for  a  force  of  1,000  militia 
to  aid  in  protecting  the  northern  border  against  invasion  from  Canada. 
Most  of  this  force  came  from  the  counties  of  Cumberland,  Franklin, 
York,  and  Adams,  the  greater  part  of  one  company  being  made  up  in 
that  part  of  Cumberland  which  now  forms  the  county  of  Perry.  Of 
this  company  David  Moreland  was  captain;  Robert  Thompson,  first 
lieutenant ;  John  Neiper,  second  lieutenant :  Amos  Cadwallader.  ensign ; 
John  Steigleman,  Richard  Rodger,  and  George  Stroch,  sergeants ;  David 
Beems  and  John  ^slyers,  musicians.  Thirteen  men  from  Perry  county 
were  enrolled  in  Captain  James  Piper's  company.  The  entire  force  of 
militia  rendezvoused  at  Carlisle  whence  it  marched  via  Pittsljurgh  to 
Black  Rock  Fort  (Buffalo),  and  later  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Chip- 
pewa. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  249 

When  the  news  reached  Perry  county  that  the  city  of  Washington 
had  been  burned  by  tlie  British  Dr.  John  Creigh  enrohed  a  company  in 
two  days.  This  company,  known  as  the  "Landisburg  Infantry,"  com- 
pleted its  organization  on  September  6,  1814,  with  John  Creigh  as  cap- 
tain; Henry  Lightner,  first  Heutenant;  Isaiah  Carl,  second  lieutenant; 
and  fifty-one  privates.  It  was  accepted  by  the  governor  and  was  "given 
the  second  post  of  honor  in  the  Pennsylvania  Line." 

Besides  the  companies  above  mentioned  there  were  a  number  of 
Juniata  valley  men  in  other  organizations.  Dr.  Alexander  Dean,  of 
Huntingdon  county,  was  surgeon  in  the  Second  Pennsylvania  regiment. 
Dr.  Joseph  Henderson,  of  Mifflin  county,  was  a  member  of  the  Twenty- 
second  regiment  and  was  engaged  in  the  recruiting  service  in  Philadel- 
phia in  the  fall  of  1812,  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant.  In  the  spring  of 
1813  he  took  his  troops  to  Sackett's  Harbor,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain. 

Throughout  the  war  the  record  of  Pennsylvania  was  one  of  which 
her  people  may  well  be  proud.  Although  the  British  never  set  foot  upon 
her  soil,  she  had  at  one  time  more  men  in  the  field  than  any  other  state, 
and  she  furnished  more  money  than  any  other  state  to  carry  on  the  war. 
When  the  New  York  militia  under  General  Van  Rensselaer  refused  to 
cross  the  line  into  Canada,  on  the  pretext  that  they  were  not  obliged  to 
leave  their  own  state,  General  Tannehill  came  up  with  a  brigade  of  2,000 
Pennsylvanians,  who  did  not  hesitate,  but  promptly  marched  across  the 
border  into  the  enemy's  country.  In  this  gallant  record  the  troops  from 
the  Juniata  valley  bore  an  honorable  and  conspicuous  part. 


CHAPTER    XIII 

MILITARY    HISTORY,    CONTINUED. 

The  War  with  r\Iexico — Call  for  Troops — Juniata  Valley  Companies  Accepted — Juni- 
ata Guards — Captain  Irwin — Lieutenant  !McCoy — Wayne  Guards — Perry  County 
Troops — Battles  in  Which  They  Participated — The  Civil  War — Attack  on  Fort 
Sumter — Excitement — Call  for  Volunteers — Logan  Guards  First  to  Reach  Wash- 
ington— Sketches  of  the  Regiments — Companies  and  Their  Commissioned  Officers — 
Emergency  Troops — Shade  Gap  and  Mount  Union  Campaign — Spanish-American 
War — The  Maine — President  McKinley's  Proclamation — Fifth  Pennsylvania  Regi- 
ment. 

WAR  with  Mexico  was  declared  by  Congress  on  May  13,  1846. 
Previous  to  that  date  General  Taylor  had  marched  to  the 
frontier  with  the  "Army  of  Occupation"  and  the  battles  of 
Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma  had  been  fought.  In  declaring  war 
Congress  authorized  the  president  "to  employ  the  militia,  naval  and 
military  forces  of  the  United  States,  and  to  call  for  and  accept  the  ser- 
vices of  50,000  volunteers."  In  pursuance  of  this  authority  the  presi- 
dent made  a  requisition  upon  the  governor  of  Pennsylvania  for  six 
regiments  of  volunteer  infantry  "to  be  held  in  readiness  to  serve  for 
twelve  months,  unless  sooner  discharged."  Within  a  month  more  than 
ninety  companies — enough  for  nine  regiments — had  tendered  their  ser- 
vices to  the  governor.  Two  of  these  companies  were  from  Huntingdon 
county,  viz :  The  \\'arrior"s  I\Iark  Fencibles — Captain,  James  Bell ; 
First  Lieutenant,  James  Thompson ;  Second  Lieutenant,  James  A.  Gano ; 
and  eighty-two  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates.  The  Williams- 
burg Blues — Captain,  Thomas  K.  Fluke;  First  Lieutenant,  James  M. 
Kinkead ;  Second  Lieutenant,  Alexander  McKamey ;  seventy-six  non- 
commissioned officers  and  privates. 

Xot  until  November  did  an  order  come  from  the  war  department  for 
the  mustering  in  of  any  troops.  Then  an  order  was  received  for  one 
regiment,  and  on  December  15,  1846,  the  First  infantry  was  organized 
at  Pittsburgh,  though  none  of  the  companies  from  the  Juniata  valley 

250 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA   VALLEY  251 

were  accepted.  As  the  regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  Wynkoop, 
passed  through  Mifflin  county  by  canal  boat  on  its  way  to  the  seat  of 
war,  several  citizens  joined  the  organization.  Among  them  were  J.  H. 
Ross,  George  W.  Hesser,  William  Stackpole,  Jacob  Hoseywantle,  and 
a  man  named  Bymaster,  and  Dr.  John  C.  Reynolds,  of  McVeytown. 
Dr.  Reynolds  was  appointed  surgeon  of  the  regiment. 

At  the  request  of  the  president  the  Second  Pennsylvania  regiment 
was  organized  and  mustered  in  at  Pittsburgh  on  January  5,  1847.  This 
regiment  was  commanded  by  Colonel  Roberts  and  was  composed  of 
companies  from  Philadelphia,  Reading,  ^lauch  Chunk.  Harrisburg,  Dan- 
ville, Pittsburgh,  and  the  counties  of  Cambria,  AVestmoreland,  and  Fay- 
ette.   Later  John  W.  Geary  succeeded  Colonel  Roberts  in  command. 

As  very  few  of  the  old  volunteer  companies  that  were  so  prompt  to 
offer  their  services  had  been  accepted  a  number  of  young  men  in  Mifflin 
county  conceived  the  idea  of  organizing  a  new  company  for  the  express 
purpose  of  serving  in  Mexico.  This  idea  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the 
"Juniata  Guards,"  most  of  the  members  of  which  company  were  from 
Lewistown  and  McVeytown.  William  H.  Irwin  was  chosen  captain  and 
Thomas  F.  AlcCoy,  first  lieutenant.  Scarcely  had  the  company  been 
organized  when  information  was  received  that  the  government  would 
not  accept  any  more  volunteer  troops,  but  under  a  recent  act  of  Congress 
would  add  ten  regiments  to  the  regular  army.  Captain  Irwin  and 
Lieutenant  McCoy  at  once  set  out  for  Washington,  where  they  met 
President  Polk,  and  were  appointed  officers  in  the  Eleventh  United 
States  infantry,  Irwin  as  captain  and  McCoy  as  first  lieutenant.  Upon 
their  return  to  Mifflin  county  a  number  of  the  Juniata  Guards  refused  to 
enter  the  service  as  regulars,  and  about  thirty  days  were  spent  in  secur- 
ing new  men  to  take  their  places.  The  quota  was  finally  filled,  however, 
and  on  March  25,  1847,  the  company  embarked  on  canal  boats  for  Pitts- 
burgh. Most  of  the  men  were  from  the  vicinity  of  McVeytown,  and 
when  the  company  reached  that  place  a  halt  was  made  to  say  farewell  to 
friends  and  relatives.  Captain  Irwin  was  presented  with  a  sword. 
Lieutenant  McCoy  with  a  regulation  sword,  and  Alajor  Criswell  with  a 
dress  sword  and  sash. 

On  the  last  day  of  March  the  company  reached  Pittsburgh,  where 
it  embarked  on  April  3d  on  the  steamboat  "Germantown,"  with  two 
other  companies  of  the  same  regiment,  and  arrived  at  New  Orleans  on  the 


252  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

I2th.  There  they  took  passage  on  the  transport  "America"'  for  Brazos, 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande,  where  they  arrived  on  the  22d.  Soon 
after  the  Juniata  Guards  were  ordered  to  Vera  Cruz,  embarked  on  the 
ship  "Meteor,"  and  anchored  near  the  castle  of  San  Juan  de  Ulloa  in  the 
harbor  of  Vera  Cruz,  on  June  2,  1847.  Six  days  later  the  company 
marched  with  General  Cadwallader's  command  for  the  interior,  and  it 
received  its  baptism  of  fire  at  the  National  bridge  on  June  nth,  where 
it  received  honorable  mention  for  brave  conduct  and  lost  one  man  killed 
and  one  wounded.  General  Cadwallader  reached  Jalapa  on  the  15th, 
where  he  joined  the  force  under  Colonel  Shields,  composed  partly  of 
the  Second  Pennsylvania,  and  then  marched  for  Puebla  to  join  General 
Scott's  army,  having  fretjuent  skirmishes  on  the  way. 

At  Puebla  the  company — now  Company  D,  Eleventh  L'nited  States 
infantry — was  attached  to  Cadwallader's  brigade,  Pillow's  division,  with 
which  it  marched  for  the  City  of  Mexico.  It  formed  part  of  the  force 
under  Captain  Robert  E.  Lee,  then  a  member  of  General  Scott's  staff 
and  later  a  distinguished  general  in  the  Confederate  army,  in  the  recon- 
noissance  of  the  enemy's  position  at  Contreras,  where  it  distinguished 
itself  for  gallant  conduct  in  action.  From  that  time  until  the  close  of 
the  war  the  company  was  in  every  action  in  which  its  regiment  partici- 
pated. On  June  4,  1848,  it  left  the  City  of  Mexico,  arrived  on  the  29th 
at  Vera  Cruz,  where  it  embarked  for  New  Orleans.  From  there,  with 
the  regiment,  it  sailed  for  New  York  and  was  mustered  out  at  Fort 
Hamilton,  near  that  city,  on  August  16,  1848.  Ten  days  later  the 
survivors  of  the  old  Juniata  Guards  were  given  a  public  reception  and 
sumptuous  dinner  in  the  court-house  at  Lewistown.  During  its  eighteen 
months  of  service  the  company  lost  twenty-five  of  its  members  by  death, 
some  killed  in  battle,  but  more  dying  of  disease  in  a  strange  climate. 

Captain  Irwin  was  a  native  of  Mifflin  county,  a  lawyer  by  profes- 
sion, practicing  his  profession  in  Lewistown  both  before  and  after  the 
Mexican  war.  Not  long  after  that  war  he  was  appointed  adjutant- 
general  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  and  later  took  an  active  part  in 
politics  as  a  Whig.  When  the  Civil  war  broke  out  in  1861,  he  was  com- 
missioned colonel  of  the  Seventh  Pennsylvania  regiment  by  Governor 
Curtin  and,  after  the  three  months'  service  of  that  regiment  was  ended, 
he  became  colonel  of  the  Forty-ninth,  a  three-years'  regiment.  He  was 
with  General  McClellan  in  the  campaign  up  the  Virginia  peninsula  in 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNL\TA    VALLEY  253 

1862;  was  severely  wounded  near  Fredericksburg  in  April,  1863,  and 
the  following  October  resigned  his  commission  and  retired  from  the 
army.  Subsequently  he  was  brevetted  brigadier-general  "for  gallant 
and  meritorious  services  during  the  war."  Some  years  after  the  war 
he  removed  to  the  State  of  Indiana,  where  he  engaged  in  mining  opera- 
tions and  railroad  enterprises.  He  then  took  up  his  residence  in  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  and  died  in  that  city  on  January  17,   1886. 

Thomas  F.  McCoy,  who  went  out  as  first  lieutenant  of  the  Juniata 
Guards,  was  also  a  native  of  Mifflin  count}'  and  up  to  manhood  lived  at 
McVeytown,  where  as  a  young  man  he  was  editor  and  publisher  of  the 
Village  Herald,  an  independent  newspaper.  After  the  Mexican  war 
he  returned  to  his  old  home  and,  in  1850,  was  elected  prothonotary  of 
Mifflin  county.  He  then  studied  law  and  in  1857  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  .\t  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war  he  tendered  his  services  to 
Governor  Curtin,  who  appointed  him  deputy  C]uartermaster-general.  In 
August,  1862,  preferring  more  active  service,  he  resigned  this  position 
and  was  commissioned  colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Seventh  regi- 
ment, Pennsylvania  veteran  volunteers.  He  assumed  command  of  the 
regiment  at  Cedar  mountain  and  served  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
until  the  end  of  the  war,  taking  part  in  more  than  twenty  l.iattles  and  the 
nine  months'  siege  of  Petersburg.  He  was  captured  at  the  Weldon  rail- 
road, but  succeeded  in  making  his  escape  and  rejoined  his  regiment. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  he  received  the  brevet  rank  of  brigadier-general, 
his  commission  bearing  date  of  the  battle  of  Five  Forks,  where  he 
handled  his  regiment  in  such  a  way  as  to  draw  forth  the  commendations 
of  his  superior  officers.  When  mustered  out  on  July  13,  1865,  he  re- 
tiu"ned  to  Lewistown,  where  he  died  at  an  advanced  age. 

On  May  19,  1847,  the  Wayne  Guards,  ninety-four  strong,  was  mus- 
tered in  at  Pittsburgh,  with  the  following  officers :  James  Caldwell,  cap- 
tain ;  Dr.  A.  INIcAmey,  first  lieutenant ;  Dr.  C.  Bowers,  second  lieutenant ; 
Joiin  A.  Doyle,  third  lieutenant ;  George  Filey,  J.  L.  Madison,  William 
Westhoven.  and  W.  A.  McMonigle.  sergeants :  A.  W.  Clarkson,  C.  B. 
Wilson,  Jacob  Shade,  and  J.  L.  Kidd,  corporals.  This  company  was 
recruited  in  the  upper  end  of  Mifflin  and  the  southeastern  part  of  Hunt- 
ingdon counties.  With  Captain  Taylor's  company,  from  Bedford,  the 
Wayne  Guards  left  Pittsburgh  by  steamboat  for  New  Orleans,  from 
which  point  they  proceeded  to  Vera  Cruz,  where  they  joined  General 


254  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

Franklin  Pierce,  afterward  president,  for  the  march  to  Puebla.  At 
Puebla  the  two  companies  were  assigned  to  the  Second  Pennsyh'ania, 
the  Wayne  Guards  becoming  Company  M.  The  regiment  formed  a  part 
of  General  Quitman's  division  and  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Contreras, 
Cherubusco,  ilolino  del  Rev,  San  Pasqual,  and  the  storming  of  the  Belen 
Gate  at  the  City  of  JNIexico.  It  was  also  at  Chapultepec,  where  Captain 
Caldwell  was  mortally  wounded,  dying  five  days  after  the  fight.  It  was 
the  first  regiment  to  enter  the  City  of  Mexico  after  the  surrender.  In 
May,  1848,  it  returned  to  Vera  Cruz,  thence  to  New  Orleans,  and  thence 
up  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers  to  Pittsburgh,  where  it  was  mustered 
out  on  July  29,  1848. 

Perry  county  furnished  a  lieutenant,  Michael  Stever,  and  sixty-six 
privates  for  service  in  the  War  with  ISIexico.  These  men  had  nearly 
all  belonged  to  the  Bloomfield  Light  Infantry  and  the  Landisburg 
Guards  before  enlisting  for  service  in  Mexico,  but  for  some  reason  they 
were  not  accredited  to  the  county  as  a  separate  organization.  They  took 
part  in  the  engagements  at  Buena  Vista,  Vera  Cruz,  Cerro  Gordo,  Con- 
treras, Cherubusco,  Molino  del  Rev,  and  Chapultepec. 

THE    CIVIL    WAR 

For  half  a  century  or  more  prior  to  i860  the  slavery  question  had 
been  one  of  commanding  interest  in  all  parts  of  the  L^nited  States. 
The  Missouri  Compromise  of  1820  and  the  Compromise  Act  of  1850, 
known  as  the  "Omnibus  Bill,"  sought  to  settle  the  question,  but  like 
Banquo's  ghost  it  would  not  down.  The  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
to  the  presidency  in  i860  was  regarded  by  the  slaveholders  of  the  South 
as  inimical  to  their  interests  and  eleven  slaveholding  states  carried  out 
their  oft-repeated  threat  to  withdraw  from  the  Union.  In  the  interim 
between  the  election  of  Lincoln  in  November,  i860,  and  his  inauguration 
on  ]March  4,  1861,  preparations  for  war  were  carried  on  in  the  seceding 
states  with  great  vigor.  The  North,  while  awake  to  the  situation  in  a 
measure,  clung  to  the  theory  that  the  difficulty  could  be  overcome  with- 
out an  appeal  to  arms.  As  early  as  January  17.  1861,  a  meeting  was 
held  at  Huntingdon,  at  which  resolutions  denouncing  secession  and 
pledging  support  to  the  constitution  of  the  L'nited  States  were  adopted. 
On  the  28th  of  the  same  month  the  ^lifflin  County  Dragoons,  a  military 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  255 

compan}-  of  the  Kishacoquillas  valley,  tendered  their  services  to  the  gov- 
ernor in  case  of  war.  It  is  beHeved  that  this  was  the  first  company  in 
the  United  States  to  take  such  action. 

At  half  past  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  April  12,  1861,  the  first 
shot  of  the  great  Civil  war  went  crashing  against  the  solid  walls  of 
Fort  Sumter,  in  Charleston  harbor.  It  was  fired  by  Edmund  Ruffin, 
a  gray-haired  Virginian  and  a  personal  and  political  friend  of  John  C. 
Calhoun.  The  telegraph  flashed  the  news  over  the  country  and,  on 
the  15th,  President  Lincoln  issued  his  call  for  75,000  troops  to  suppress 
the  rebellion.  One  of  the  first  companies  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania 
to  respond  was  the  Logan  Guards,  of  Lewistown,  the  services  of  which 
had  been  tendered  to  the  governor  in  advance  of  the  call  by  its  captain, 
John  B.  Selheimer.  A  telegram  from  Governor  Andrew  Curtin  on 
the  morning  of  April  17th.  accepting  the  company,  was  received  by  Cap- 
tain Selheimer,  with  orders  to  report  at  Harrisburg  as  soon  as  possible. 
At  that  time  the  company  could  muster  but  twenty-six  members,  but  a 
recruiting  office  was  opened  and  in  one  hour  the  strength  was  increased 
to  106  men  ready  to  march  to  the  front.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the 
17th  the  compan}-  arrived  in  Harrisburg,  where  it  was  joined  by  four 
other  companies — 530  men  in  all — and  the  next  day  the  entire  detach- 
ment set  out  for  Washington.  At  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the  19th 
the  first  sergeant  of  the  Logan  Guards  handed  the  morning  report  of 
the  company  to  Adjutant-General  Thomas,  who  remarked  that  it  was 
the  first  official  volunteer  report  received.  The  greater  part  of  the  three 
months'  term  of  service  was  spent  at  Fort  ^\'ashington,  fourteen  miles 
below  the  city,  on  the  Maryland  side  of  the  Potomac.  \Maen  the  Twenty- 
fifth  regiment  was  organized  the  Logan  Guards  became  Company  E,  the 
color  company.  Captain  Selheimer  being  made  lieutenant-colonel  of  the 
regiment.  After  his  promotion  the  officers  of  the  company  were  as 
follows:  Thomas  M.  Hulings,  captain;  F.  R.  Sterrett,  first  lieutenant; 
R.  \\\  Patton,  second  lieutenant. 

Among  the  privates  of  this  famous  company  at  the  beginning  of  the 
war  were  Brigadier-General  William  H.  Irwin,  who  commanded  a 
brigade  in  General  Franklin's  corps  at  the  battle  of  Antietam ;  Brevet 
Brigadier-General  William  G.  Mitchell,  chief  of  stafi^  under  General 
Hancock ;  Brevet  Brigadier-General  J.  A.  Matthews,  who  commanded 
the  Second  brigade,  Hartranft's  division.  Ninth  corps;  and  Thomas  M. 


256  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Hulings,  who  was  afterward  made  colonel  of  the  Forty-ninth  Pennsyl- 
vania and  was  killed  at  Spottsylvania. 

In  the  Second  regiment,  Company  D  was  recruited  in  Perry  county, 
with  H.  D.  Woodruff  as  captain ;  J.  H.  Crist,  first  lieutenant ;  C.  K. 
Brenneman,  second  lieutenant.  There  were  also  fourteen  Perry  county 
boys  in  another  company.  The  Second  was  a  three  months'  regiment, 
mustered  in  on  April  21,  1861,  under  command  of  Colonel  Frederick  G. 
Stumbaugh.  Its  service  was  in  Alaryland  and  Virginia,  but  it  was  not 
called  into  action,  and  was  mustered  out  at  Harrisburg  on  July  26, 
1861. 

Company  D,  Fifth  regiment,  was  recruited  in  Huntingdon  county 
and  was  officered  as  follows:  Benjamin  F.  Miller,  captain;  George  F. 
McCabe,  first  lieutenant ;  James  D.  Campbell,  second  lieutenant.  The 
regiment  was  mustered  in  at  Camp  Curtin,  Harrisburg,  April  21,  1861, 
for  a  term  of  three  months,  with  R.  P.  McDowell  as  colonel.  Two  com- 
panies were  engaged  in  guarding  steamboats  through  the  Chesapeake 
and  Delaware  canal,  after  which  the  entire  regiment  was  ordered  to 
Annapolis  Junction  to  repel  an  attack.  The  attack  was  not  made  and 
it  was  ordered  to  Washington  on  April  27th.  On  June  3,  1861,  it  was 
assigned  to  the  brigade  commanded  by  Brigadier-General  Irwin  Mc- 
Dowell and  remained  with  that  command  until  ordered  back  to  Harris- 
burg, where  it  was  mustered  out  on  the  25th  of  July. 

On  April  22.  1861,  the  Seventh  regiment  was  mustered  in  at  Camp 
Curtin,  under  command  of  Colonel  William  H.  Irwin,  who  was  then 
serving  as  a  private  with  the  Logan  Guards.  Company  I  was  recruited 
at  Lewistown,  Mifflin  county,  with  Henry  A.  Zollinger  as  captain; 
William  H.  McClelland  as  first  lieutenant ;  and  James  Couch  as  second 
lieutenant.  The  regiment  left  Camp  Curtin  on  the  23d  for  Chambers- 
burg,  where  it  was  met  by  Colonel  Irwin.  Late  in  May  it  was  assigned 
to  the  Third  brigade.  First  division,  and  served  with  the  command  in 
Maryland  and  X'irginia  until  July  22d,  when  it  was  ordered  to  Harris- 
burg for  muster  out,  its  three  months'  term  having  expired. 

The  Tenth  regiment  was  mustered  in  at  Camp  Curtin  on  April  26, 
1 86 1,  for  three  months,  under  command  of  Colonel  Sulli\an  A.  !Mere- 
dith.  Company  I  was  recruited  in  Huntingdon  county  and  was  officered 
by  Henry  L.  McConnell,  captain ;  William  Linton,  first  lieutenant ;  Mar- 
tin V.  B.    Harding,  second  lieutenant.     It  was  immediately  ordered  to 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNL-\TA    VALLEY  257 

Virginia  and  was  assigned  to  the  Third  Ijrigade,  First  division,  and 
was  engaged  in  skirmishes  with  the  enemy  on  June  24th  and  July  3d.  It 
was  mustered  out  at  Harrisburg  on  the  last  day  of  July. 

A  few  JNIifflin  county  men  were  in  the  Tenth  regiment  and  in  Com- 
pany B,  Eleventh  regiment,  which  was  mustered  in  on  the  same  day  as 
the  Tenth,  there  were  a  number  of  ■Mifflin  county  men.  The  Eleventh 
was  commanded  by  Colonel  Pharon  Jarrett  and  was  ordered  to  Virginia 
soon  after  the  muster  in.  It  served  in  the  brigades  of  Generals  Negley 
and  Abercrombie,  Sixth  division,  and  was  actively  engaged  at  Falling 
Waters,  Maryland,  on  the  2nd  of  July.  It  was  then  on  duty  at  Martins- 
burg,  Charlestown,  and  Harper's  Ferry,  Virginia,  and  Sandy  Hook, 
Maryland,  until  it  was  ordered  home.  It  was  mustered  out  on  the  last 
day  of  July,  but  was  soon  afterward  reorganized  as  a  three  years' 
regiment. 

l"he  Fourteenth  regiment  (three  months')  was  mustered  in  at  Camp 
Curtin  in  the  latter  part  of  April,  1861,  under  command  of  Colonel  John 
\V.  Johnston.  A  large  part  of  Company  I  came  from  Huntingdon 
county.  The  officers  of  this  company  were  :  Alexander  Bobb,  captain ; 
J.  C.  Saunders,  first  lieutenant :  John  H.  Sypher,  second  lieutenant. 
There  were  also  c|uite  a  number  of  Juniata  county  men  in  the  regiment. 
It  was  on  duty  in  Maryland  and  Virginia  during  its  term  of  service, 
Init  was  at  no  time  actively  engaged.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Carlisle 
on  August  7,  1 86 1. 

In  the  Fifteenth  regiment  (three  months')  there  was  one  company 
partly  made  up  in  Mifflin  and  Juniata  counties  and  Company  H  was 
composed  chiefly  of  Huntingdon  county  men,  though  it  was  credited  to 
Cambria  county.  Of  this  company  Joseph  Johnson  was  captain ;  Michael 
McNally,  first  lieutenant :  William  H.  Simpson,  second  lieutenant.  The 
history  of  this  organization  is  practically  the  same  as  that  of  the  Four- 
teenth regiment. 

During  the  summer  of  1861  the  Twenty-eighth  regiment  was  raised 
and  it  was  mustered  in  for  three  years  about  the  middle  of  August.  Its 
first  colonel  was  John  W.  Geary,  who  was  promoted  to  brigadier-general 
and  after  the  war  served  two  terms  as  governor  of  Pennsylvania.  It 
was  through  his  efforts  and  largely  at  his  personal  expense  that  the 
regiment  was  organized.  The  Twenty-eighth  was  of  unusual  size,  hav- 
ing fifteen  companies,  one  of  which — Company  O — was  raised  in  Hunt- 


258  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

ingdon  county.  This  company  was  mustered  in  on  August  17,  1S61, 
with  George  F.  ]\IcCabe  as  captain :  J.  Addison  ]\Ioore,  first  heutenant ; 
A.  H.  \\'.  Creigh,  second  heutenant.  On  October  28,  1862,  the  members 
of  the  company,  with  few  exceptions,  were  transferred  to  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Forty-seventh  regiment,  the  organization  remaining  intact 
as  Company  B. 

In  the  Thirty-fourth  regiment  (the  Fifth  Reserve)  Huntingdon 
county  furnished  two  companies — the  Huntingdon  Infantry,  which  was 
made  Company  G,  and  the  Scott  Infantry,  which  became  Company  I. 
Of  the  former  Andrew  S.  Harrison  was  captain:  John  E.  \\'olfe,  first 
Heutenant;  J.  A.  Willoughby,  second  Heutenant.  Of  the  latter  Frank 
Zentmyer  Avas  the  captain :  Robert  B.  Frazer,  first  Heutenant :  J.  A.  Mc- 
Pherran.  second  Heutenant.  The  regiment  was  mustered  in  at  Camp 
Curtin  on  June  20,  1861,  for  three  years,  under  command  of  Colonel 
John  I.  Gregg,  who  resigned  the  next  day  to  accept  a  captaincy  in  the 
Sixth  United  States  cavalrv,  and  was  succeeded  by  Colonel  Seneca  G. 
Simmons.  After  several  months  in  camp  and  routine  duty,  with  short 
marches  to  different  points  around  ^A'ashington,  the  regiment  joined 
General  ^IcClellan  for  the  Peninsular  campaign.  It  was  engaged  at 
Llechanicsville,  distinguished  itself  at  the  battle  of  Gaines'  JMiH,  and  was 
in  nearly  all  the  actions  during  the  Seven  Days'  battles.  Later  it  was 
at  the  Second  Bull  Run,  South  ^Mountain,  Antietam,  Fredericksburg, 
Gettvsburg,  and  the  campaign  in  the  spring  of  1864  beginning  with  the 
battle  of  the  Wilderness.  On  June  i,  1864,  it  left  the  service  and  pro- 
ceeded to  Harrisburg,  where  it  was  mustered  out. 

Company  B,  Thirty-sixth  regiment  (Seventh  Reserves)  was  re- 
cruited in  Perry  county  and  was  mustered  in  with  the  regiinent  at 
AA'ashington,  D.  C,  July  27,  1861,  with  John  Jameson  as  captain: 
George  K.  Schall,  first  lieutenant :  W.  H.  Dieffenbach,  second  lieutenant. 
The  service  of  this  regiment  was  almost  identical  with  that  of  the 
Thirtv-fourth.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Philadelphia,  June  16,  1864.  A 
large  number  of  its  members  were  captured  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilder- 
ness. 

In  the  Forty-first  regiment  of  the  line  (the  Twelfth  Reserves), 
Companv  I  came  from  Huntingdon  county.  The  regiment  was  mustered 
in  on  August  10,  1861,  at  Camp  Curtin,  with  John  H.  Taggart  as  col- 
onel.   The  officers  of  Company  I  were  :    James  C.  Baker,  captain :  Perry 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  259 

Etchison,  first  lieutenant;  Samuel  J.  Cloyd,  second  lieutenant.  On  Au- 
gust 20th  the  regiment  was  assigned  to  the  Third  brigade  of  the  Re- 
serves and  was  with  General  McClellan  in  the  Peninsular  campaign,  par- 
ticipating in  the  battle  at  Ellerson's  Mill,  the  Seven  Days"  battles,  and 
numerous  minor  engagements.  Later  it  was  at  Antietam,  Gettysburg, 
and  the  principal  actions  in  which  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  en- 
gaged.    It  was  mustered  out  at  Harrisburg  on  June  11,  1864. 

The  Forty-second,  also  known  as  the  "Bucktails,"'  and  the  "Kane 
Rifle  Regiment,"  was  recruited  in  the  spring  of  1861  and  was  mustered 
in  about  the  middle  of  June,  under  command  of  Colonel  Charles  J. 
Biddle.  It  was  the  original  intention  to  include  only  skilled  marksmen 
in  the  membership  and  the  regiment  was  recruited  chiefly  in  the  lumber- 
ing districts  of  the  state.  Company  B  came  from  Perry  county,  with 
Langhorn  Wistar  as  captain;  John  A.  Gulp,  first  lieutenant;  Joel  R. 
Sparr,  second  lieutenant.  There  were  also  a  number  of  men  from  IMif- 
flin  and  Juniata  counties  in  the  Bucktails.  The  regiment  took  part  in  the 
battles  of  Dranesville,  Mechanicsville,  Gaines'  Mill,  the  Seven  Days', 
South  ^Mountain,  Antietam,  Gettysburg,  the  various  engagements  of  the 
Mine  Run  campaign,  the  Wilderness,  Spottsylvania,  Xorth  Anna  river, 
Bethesda  Church,  where  it  fought  its  last  battle  on  May  30,  1864,  orders 
being  received  on  June  ist  to  move  to  Harrisburg  for  muster  out. 
The  men  were  mustered  out  and  discharged  ten  days  later. 

■Mifflin  county  furnished  Company  C  and  Juniata  county  Company 
A  for  the  Forty-fourth  regiment,  otherwise  known  as  the  First  cavalry. 
At  the  time  the  regiment  was  mustered  in  on  September  i,  1861,  Com- 
pany A  was  officered  as  follows :  John  K.  Robinson,  captain :  James  R. 
Kelley,  first  lieutenant;  David  H.  Wilson,  second  lieutenant.  John  P. 
Taylor,  afterward  promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel,  was  captain  of  Com- 
pany C;  William  ]\Iann.  first  lieutenant;  John  \\\  Nelson,  second  lieu- 
tenant. Under  command  of  Colonel  George  D.  Bayard  the  Forty-fourth 
joined  McCall's  division  at  Tenallytown,  Maryland,  soon  after  it  was 
mustered  in.  Its  first  engagement  was  at  Dranesville  and  on  the  open- 
ing of  the  campaign  in  the  spring  of  1862  it  joined  General  IMcClellan 
for  the  march  up  the  Virginia  peninsula.  Upon  reaching  the  Pamunkey 
river  it  was  recalled  and  sent  to  the  Shenandoah  Valley  against  Stone- 
wall Jackson.  There  the  men  were  almost  constantly  in  the  saddle, 
taking  part  in  the  engagements  at  Front  Royal,  Cross  Keys,  Port  Re- 


26o  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNL\TA   VALLEY 

public,  and  performing  scout  and  picket  duty.  It  was  then  with  General 
Pope  at  Cedar  Alountain,  where  it  rendered  valuable  service.  As  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  retreated  toward  Washington,  the  First  Pennsyl- 
vania cavalry  formed  part  of  the  rear  guard  and  was  frequently  en- 
gaged with  the  enemy.  It  fought  at  the  Second  Bull  Run,  Fredericks- 
burg, Sheperdstown,  in  the  Aline  Run  campaign,  at  New  Hope  Church, 
and  in  a  number  of  lesser  actions  during  the  year  1863,  and  in  the  sprmg 
of  1864  it  took  an  active  part  in  the  campaign  from  the  Rapidan  to  the 
James  until  ordered  to  Philadelphia,  where  it  was  mustered  out  on  Sep- 
tember 9,  1864. 

In  the  Forty-fifth  regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  Thomas  Welch, 
Company  C  was  recruited  in  JNIifflin  county.  The  officers  of  this  com- 
pany were :  William  G.  Bigelow,  captain ;  Jesse  W.  Horton,  first  lieu- 
tenant ;  Isaac  Steely,  second  lieutenant.  The  regiment  was  mustered  in 
on  October  21,  1861,  and  two  days  later  started  for  Washington,  where 
it  was  assigned  to  Howard's  brigade,  Casey's  division.  From  December, 
1 86 1,  to  July,  1862,  it  was  on  duty  around  Charleston,  South  Carolina. 
It  was  then  in  the  vicinity  of  Fortress  ]\Ionroe  for  about  a  month,  when  it 
was  attached  to  the  First  brigade,  First  division.  Ninth  Corps,  with 
which  it  took  part  in  the  actions  at  South  Mountain,  Antietam,  Freder- 
icksburg, and  some  others,  and  in  May,  1S63,  was  ordered  to  Mississippi. 
There  it  assisted  in  the  capture  of  Vicksburg,  after  which  it  was  sent 
to  Tennessee  and  was  in  the  fight  with  General  Longstreet's  forces  at 
Knoxville  in  November.  Early  in  1864  it  was  ordered  to  Virginia  and 
served  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  until  mustered  out  on  July  17, 
1865.  Before  joining  this  regiment  the  company  from  Mifflin  county 
was  known  as  the  Belleville  Fencibles. 

On  September  i,  1861,  the  Forty-sixth  regiment  was  mustered  in 
at  Camp  Curtin,  under  command  of  Colonel  Joseph  F.  Knipe.  In  this 
reo-iment  Company  A  was  made  up  in  Alifflin  county  and  a  part  of  Com- 
pany D  in  Perry.  The  officers  of  Company  A  at  the  time  of  muster 
in  were :  Joseph  A.  Matthews,  captain ;  Henry  A.  Eisenbise,  first  lieu- 
tenant; William  B.  Weber,  second  lieutenant.  A  large  number  of  the 
members  of  this  company  had  previously  been  with  the  Logan  Guards 
in  the  three  months'  service.  Soon  after  being  mustered  in  the  regiment 
joined  the  army  under  General  Banks  on  the  upper  Potomac  and  was 
assigned   to   Crawford's   brigade,   Williams'    division.      The    following 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  261 

spring  it  was  transferred  to  General  Pope's  army,  with  which  it  was 
engaged  at  Cedar  Mountain  and  other  places.  It  was  under  General 
Hooker  at  the  battle  of  Antietam,  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Fredericks- 
burg in  December,  1862,  and  after  that  battle  it  was  made  part  of  the 
Second  brigade,  First  division.  Twelfth  corps,  commanded  by  General 
Slocum.  In  1863  it  was  at  Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburg  and  later  in 
the  year  was  sent  to  Tennessee.  In  1864  it  was  with  General  Sherman 
in  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  afterward  in  the  famous  march  to  the  sea. 
It  was  mustered  out  at  Alexandria,  Virginia.  July  16,  1865. 

The  Forty-seventh  regiment  was  organized  in  August  and  Septem- 
ber, 1 86 1,  the  companies  being  mustered  in  at  different  dates,  and  about 
September  20th  left  the  state  for  Washington,  under  command  of  Col- 
onel Tilghman  H.  Good.  Companies  D  and  H  were  recruited  in  Perry 
county  and  a  considerable  portion  of  Company  C  came  from  Juniata 
county.  The  officers  of  Company  D  were :  Henry  D.  Woodruff',  cap- 
tain ;  Samuel  S.  Auchmutz,  first  lieutenant ;  George  Stroop,  second  lieu- 
tenant. Company  H  was  officered  by  Janres  Kacey,  captain ;  William  W. 
Geety,  first  lieutenant:  C.  K.  Brenneman,  second  lieutenant.  William 
Reese,  of  Juniata  county,  was  second  lieutenant  of  Company  C  at  the 
time  of  muster  in  and  later  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant.  This  regi- 
ment remained  near  Washington  until  January  23,  1862,  when  it  was 
ordered  to  the  south  and  took  part  in  General  Brannan's  expedition  to 
Key  \\>st.  It  was  then  in  South  Carolina  and  Florida  until  Felsruary, 
1864,  when  it  was  ordered  to  join  General  Banks  in  Louisiana.  After 
the  Red  River  campaign  it  returned  to  Virginia  and  served  under  Sheri- 
dan in  the  Shenandoah  valley.  It  remained  in  Virginia  until  after  Lee's 
surrender,  took  part  in  the  grand  review  at  \\^ashington  in  May,  1865, 
and  then  went  to  Charleston.  South  Carolina,  where  it  remained  until 
January  3,  1866,  when  it  embarked  for  New  York.  It  was  mustered 
out  at  Philadelphia  six  days  later. 

The  Forty-ninth  might  be  called  a  Juniata  valley  regiment.  Part 
of  Company  A  was  recruited  in  Perry  county;  Companies  C  and  D.  in 
Huntingdon;  Companies  E  and  H  and  part  of  K,  in  Mifflin;  and  Com- 
pany I.  in  Juniata.  Company  A  was  officered  by  men  outside  of  Perry 
county.  Company  C,  John  B.  Miles,  captain;  F.  M.  Wombacher,  first 
lieutenant;  A.  G.  Dickey,  second  lieutenant.  Company  D,  James  D. 
Campbell,  captain;  John  H.  ^^'estbrook,  first  lieutenant;  Benjamin  H. 


262  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

Downing,  second  lieutenant.  Company  E.  H.  A.  Zollinger,  captain; 
L.  H.  Pinkerton,  first  lieutenant;  Edwin  E.  Zigler,  second  lieutenant. 
Company  H,  Ralph  L.  ISIaclay,  captain ;  William  G.  Mitchell,  first  lieu- 
tenant; Abraham  T.  Hillands,  second  lieutenant.  Company  I,  Calvin 
De  Witt,  captain;  R.  ^l.  McClelland,  first  lieutenant;  David  B.  Spano- 
gle,  second  lieutenant.  Company  K,  Mathias  Niece,  captain ;  John  R. 
Keim,  first  lieutenant;  Thomas  F.  Xiece,  second  lieutenant.  The  regi- 
mental organization  was  completed  early  in  September,  1861,  and  on 
the  22nd  left  Camp  Curtin  for  \\"ashington  under  command  of  Colonel 
William  H.  Irwin.  It  took  part  in  the  Peninsular  campaign  of  1S62, 
under  General  George  B.  McClellan  and  later  was  with  General  Pope 
in  Virginia.  In  1863,  as  part  of  the  Third  brigade.  First  division,  Sixth 
corps,  it  was  with  General  Hooker  on  the  Chancellorsville  campaign,  took 
part. in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  and  the  pursuit  of  Lee's  army  and  was 
in  the  ^Mine  Run  campaign.  Among  the  battles  in  which  it  was  engaged 
in  1864  were  Spottsylvania,  Cold  Harbor,  and  Winchester,  and  its  last 
fight  was  at  Sailor's  Creek,  April  3,  1865. 

In  the  Fifty-first  regiment  there  were  a  few  men  from  ]\Iifflin  and 
Juniata  counties  and  in  the  Fifty-second  a  large  part  of  Company  C 
was  recruited  in  ]Mifflin  county.  Both  these  regiments  served  with  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  and  their  history  does  not  differ  materially  from 
that  of  the  Forty-ninth.  In  the  Fifty-third,  Company  C  was  raised  in 
Huntingdon  county  and  Company  I  in  Juniata.  Of  Company  C,  John 
H.  ^^'introde  was  captain;  Robert  !McXamara,  first  lieutenant;  John 
McLaughlin,  second  lieutenant.  Company  I  was  officered  by  Henry  S. 
Dimm  as  captain ;  Isaac  T.  Cross,  first  lieutenant ;  Henry  Speice,  second 
lieutenant.  Under  command  of  Colonel  John  R.  Brooke  the  regiment 
left  Camp  Curtin  on  November  7,  1861,  for  Washington  and  soon  after 
its  arrival  there  crossed  over  to  Alexandria,  Virginia,  where  it  was  as- 
signed to  General  French's  brigade.  It  was  with  [McClellan  on  the  Penin- 
sular campaign;  was  with  the  same  commander  at  Antietam,  where  it 
made  a  brilliant  charge  and  gained  an  important  position.  In  1863  it 
was  at  Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburg  and  the  various  other  movements 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  participated  in  the  final  campaign 
that  ended  in  Lee's  surrender  at  Appomattox  on  April  9,  1865.  Then, 
after  participating  in  the  grand  review  at  ^\'ashington,  it  was  mustered 
out  on  June  30,  1865. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA   VALLEY  263 

Several  regiments  were  then  organized  in  other  parts  of  the  state 
and  the  Juniata  valley  was  not  represented  in  another  until  the  Seventy- 
seventh,  in  which  Huntingdon  county  furnished  Company  C,  there 
were  a  few  men  from  Juniata  county,  and  Perry  county  furnished  the 
regimental  band.  Company  C  was  otScered  by  ]\Iichael  McNally,  cap- 
tain; Joseph  J.  Lawson,  first  lieutenant;  Samuel  L  Davis,  second  lieu- 
tenant. The  regiment  was  rendezvoused  at  Camp  Wilkins,  Pittsburgh, 
where  it  was  mustered  in  about  the  middle  of  October,  1861,  with  Fred- 
erick S.  Stumbaugh  as  colonel.  On  the  iSth  it  left  Pittsburgh  on  steam- 
ers and  went  down  the  Ohio  river  to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  as  part 
of  Xegley's  brigade.  At  Xashville,  Tennessee,  it  was  attached  to  Wood's 
brigade,  McCook's  division,  Army  of  the  Ohio.  It  took  part  in  the 
second  day's  fighting  at  Shiloh  and  the  subsecjuent  march  to  Corinth, 
after  which  it  moved  back  to  Kentucky  with  General  Buell.  It  was  then 
in  Tennessee,  taking  part  in  the  battles  of  Stone's  river,  the  Tullahoma, 
and  Chickamauga.  In  1S64  it  w^as  with  Sherman  on  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign, taking  part  in  many  of  the  engagements,  and  after  the  fall  of  At- 
lanta returned  to  Nashville  with  General  George  H.  Thomas.  It  was 
in  the  decisive  battle  of  Xashville,  December  15,  1S64,  and  joined  in 
the  pursuit  of  Hood's  shattered  army  into  Alabama.  In  June,  1865,  it 
was  ordered  south  and  served  in  Louisiana  and  Texas  until  the  close 
of  the  year,  when  it  was  ordered  home.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Phila- 
delphia, January  16,  1866. 

The  Seventy-eighth  regiment  was  organized  at  Camp  Orr,  near 
Kittanning,  in  the  fall  of  1861,  under  command  of  Colonel  William 
Sirwell.  Company  C  was  recruited  in  ^lifflin  county,  with  A.  B.  Sel- 
heimer  as  captain;  John  S.  [McEwen,  first  lieutenant;  Samuel  Eisenbise, 
second  lieutenant.  In  Company  D  were  a  few  men  from  Perr}'  county. 
The  Mifflin  county  company  did  not  go  out  with  the  regiment  in  1S61, 
but  was  recruited  in  January  and  February,  1865. 

In  the  Seventy-ninth  regiment  there  were  a  few  men  from  ]\Iifflin 
and  Perry  counties  and  one  musician  in  the  regimental  band  was  a  Perry 
county  man. 

Company  K,  Eighty-third  regiment,  contained  a  number  of  men 
from  Perry  county;  John  Deitrick  being  first  lieutenant,  and  four  of 
the  sergeants  were  Perry  county  boys. 

The  Ninety-second,  also  designated  the  Ninth  cavalry,  was  organ- 


264  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

ized  at  Camp  Cameron,  Harrisburg,  in  the  fall  of  1861,  ^vith  Edward 
C.  Williams  as  colonel.  Company  A  was  recruited  in  Perry  county,  with 
Griffith  Jones,  captain ;  Charles  \\'ebster,  first  lieutenant :  Thomas  D. 
Griffiths,  second  lieutenant.  A  few  Perry  county  men  were  in  Com- 
pany i\I,  but  the  greater  part  of  that  company  came  from  Huntingdon 
county.  George  \\'.  Patterson  was  captain;  O.  B.  [NlcXight,  first  lieu- 
tenant; Isaac  C.  Temple,  second  lieutenant.  There  were  also  Perry 
county  men  in  Companies  B,  G,  H,  and  L.  On  November  20,  1861, 
the  regiment  left  for  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  during  the  winter  and 
spring  was  frequently  engaged  with  the  guerrillas  under  General  Mor- 
gan. It  was  in  the  battles  of  Richmond  and  Perryville,  Kentucky,  after 
which  it  was  engaged  in  scout  duty  in  eastern  Tennessee  along  the  line 
of  the  Virginia  &  Tennessee  railroad,  burning  the  railroad  bridges,  etc. 
It  was  next  under  General  Rosecrans  in  Tennessee,  took  part  in  the 
pursuit  of  ]\Iorgan  in  his  famous  raid  in  1863,  and  during  the  following- 
winter  was  constantly  on  duty  in  East  Tennessee.  The  greater  part 
of  the  summer  of  1864  was  spent  in  Tennessee  fighting  \Mieeler's 
cavalry  at  various  points,  and,  after  the  fall  of  Atlanta,  it  was  ordered 
to  join  General  Sherman's  army  for  the  march  to  the  sea.  It  was 
frequently  engaged  in  the  campaign  through  the  Carolinas  early  in 
1865  and  was  mustered  out  on  the  i8th  of  July  in  that  }-ear. 

The  One  Htmdred  and  First  regiment  was  raised  in  the  western 
part  of  the  state  in  the  fall  of  1861  and  was  commanded  at  first  by 
Colonel  Joseph  H.  \\'ilson.  It  was  with  McClellan  in  i86j  and  was 
then  ordered  to  North  Carolina.  Sickness  and  loss  in  battle  reduced  its 
membership  until  it  was  necessary  to  add  eight  new  companies  for  the 
organization.  Two  of  these — Company  A  and  Company  E — were  re- 
cruited in  Juniata  county.  The  former  was  officered  b\'  Levi  INIusser, 
captain;  Henry  P.  Owens,  first  lieutenant:  John  T.  ^letlin,  second  lieu- 
tenant. Company  E  was  officered  by  Cornelius  ^IcClellan,  captain : 
Benjamin  Geipe,  first  lieutenant ;  Joseph  A^an  Ormer,  second  lieutenant. 
As  the  new  companies  were  not  mustered  in  until  March,  1865,  they 
saw  but  little  actual  service.  They  were  mustered  out  with  the  regiment 
at  Newbern,  North  Carolina,  June  25,  1865. 

Companv  F  and  part  of  Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Fourth  regi- 
ment, were  recruited  in  Perry  county.  Joel  F.  Fredericks  was  captain 
of  Company  F;  David  C.  Orris,  first  lieutenant;  A\'illiam  Flickinger, 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  265 

second  lieutenant.  Early  in  November,  1861,  the  regiment  reported  for 
duty  with  1,135  officers  and  men,  and  was  ordered  to  W'ashington.  It 
was  with  McClellan  in  1862;  sailed  for  Beaufort,  South  Carolina,  in 
December  of  that  year;  in  April,  1863,  started  for  Charleston  to  assist 
in  the  attack  on  that  Confederate  stronghold,  but  the  attack  was  over 
before  it  arrived.  It  was  then  engaged  in  duty  in  South  Carolina  and 
Florida  until  the  following  August,  when  it  was  ordered  to  Virginia 
and  attached  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Its  history  from  that  time 
is  about  the  same  as  that  of  other  regiments  engaged  aljout  Petersburg 
and  Richmond,  and  on  August  25,  1865,  it  was  mustered  out  of 
service. 

There  were  a  few  men  from  each  of  the  four  counties  included  in 
this  work  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixth  regiment,  and  part  of  Company 
B  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Seventh  was  recruited  in  Perry  county. 
Company  F  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Seventh  was  raised  in  Lliftlin 
county  and  was  mustered  in  with  E.  W.  H.  Eisenbise  as  captain;  John 
F.  Williams,  first  lieutenant ;  William  H.  Scott,  second  lieutenant.  There 
were  also  a  number  of  Juniata  county  men  in  this  regiment,  which  was 
organized  in  March,  1862,  with  Thomas  A.  Zeigle,  a  veteran  of  the 
Mexican  war,  as  colonel.  He  died  on  July  15,  18G2.  and  was  succeeded 
in  command  by  Colonel  Thomas  F.  AlcCoy,  also  a  veteran  of  the  Mexi- 
can war.  The  regiment  was  first  under  fire  at  the  battle  of  Cedar  ^foun- 
tain, after  which  it  fought  in  the  Second  Bull  Run,  at  South  Mountain, 
Antietam,  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg,  and  numerous 
slight  engagements,  remaining  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  until 
Lee's  surrender.     It  was  mustered  out  on  July  13,  1865. 

Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  regiment.  Colonel  William  D. 
Lewis  commanding,  was  raised  in  Huntingdon  county.  Seth  Benner 
was  captain  of  the  company  at  the  time  of  muster  in;  Daniel  Henkle, 
first  lieutenant ;  Benjamin  F.  Bare,  second  lieutenant.  The  regiment 
was  mustered  into  the  L'nited  States  service  in  December,  1861,  and  on 
January  2,  1862,  reached  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  where  it  was  assigned 
to  Tyler's  brigade.  It  was  in  a  skirmish  at  Port  Republic  and  at  the 
battle  of  Cedar  Mountain,  but  during  the  Antietam  campaign  was  at 
Washington.  At  Gettysburg  it  was  commanded  by  Colonel  Jones,  and 
from  that  time  to  the  close  of  the  war  its  history  is  identical  with  the 
other  regiments  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.     It  was  mustered  out  on 


266  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

June  28,  1865.  In  Company  D,  Captain  Samuel  L.  Huyett,  there  were 
several  men  from  Huntingdon  county. 

In  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirteenth  regiment  Company  F  was  raised 
in  Juniata  county  and  Company  I  in  Aliftlin  and  Juniata,  with  a  few 
men  from  L'nion.  The  officers  of  Company  F  were:  William  Bell, 
captain ;  David  B.  Jenkins,  first  lieutenant ;  David  A.  Irwin,  second  lieu- 
tenant. Edson  Gerry  was  captain  of  Company  I ;  Abraham  Lang,  first 
lieutenant;  Albert  G.  Bonsall,  second  lieutenant.  This  regiment  was 
organized  in  the  late  fall  of  1861,  with  William  Frishmuth  as  colonel. 
It  was,  in  the  campaigns  in  Virginia  and  ]\Iaryland  in  1862;  was  at 
Gettysburg  the  following  July,  and  performed  valiant  duty  in  the  final 
campaign  that  ended  with  Lee's  surrender.  It  was  mustered  out  on 
July  20,  1S65. 

Huntingdon  county  was  well  represented  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twentj'-fifth  regiment,  which  was  raised  in  July  and  August,  1862,  and 
mustered  in  for  nine  months.  It  was  mustered  in  at  Camp  Curtin  on 
August  16,  1S62,  with  Jacob  Higgins  as  colonel.  Of  the  four  Hunting- 
don county  companies.  Company  C  was  officered  by  \\^illiam  \Y.  Wallace 
as  captain;  William  B.  Ziegler,  first  lieutenant;  William  F.  !McPherran, 
second  lieutenant.  Company  F,  John  J.  Lawrence,  captain;  William  C. 
Wagoner,  first  lieutenant ;  J.  F.  N.  Householder,  second  lieutenant.  Cap- 
tain LaAvrence  was  afterward  promoted  to  major.  Company  H,  Henry 
H.  Gregg,  captain ;  John  Flenner,  first  lieutenant ;  Samuel  F.  Stewart, 
second  lieutenant.  Company  I,  William  F.  Thomas,  captain ;  George 
Thomas,  first  lieutenant;  John  D.  Fee,  second  lieutenant.  After  the 
battle  of  Antietam,  where  it  received  its  baptism  of  fire,  the  regiment 
was  stationed  about  Harper's  Ferry  until  November,  1862,  when  it 
moved  with  the  Twelfth  corps  to  Fredericksburg,  but  did  not  arrive  in 
time  to  take  part  in  the  battle.  It  took  part  in  the  famous  "Mud  March," 
being  engaged  in  several  skirmishes  with  the  enemy,  and  on  May  18, 
1863,  was  mustered  out  at  Harrisburg. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth,  also  a  nine  months'  regiment, 
■was  raised  about  the  same  time  as  the  preceding  regiment,  being  mustered 
in  at  Camp  Curtin  on  August  10,  1862.  Companies  F  and  I  were  re- 
cruited in  Juniata  county.  John  P.  Wharton  was  captain  of  Company 
F;  R.  P.  McWilliams,  first  lieutenant;  James  C.  Bonsall,  second  lieu- 
tenant.   Company  I  was  officered  by  Amos  H.  Martin,  captain;  William 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  267 

W.  Davis,  first  lieutenant;  Lewis  Degen,  second  lieutenant.  Five  days 
after  it  was  mustered  in  the  regiment  moved  to  the  front  and  was 
assigned  to  Tyler's  brigade,  Humphrey's  division,  Fifth  corps,  com- 
manded by  General  Fitz  John  Porter.  It  arrived  too  late  to  take  part 
in  the  battle  of  Antietam,  but  distinguished  itself  in  the  battle  of  Fred- 
ericksburg, December  13,  1S62,  by  a  furious  charge  upon  the  enemy 
behind  the  historic  stone  wall,  where  seventy-seven  of  its  members  were 
killed  and  wounded,  Captain  Wharton  being  one  of  the  latter.  The 
following  spring  it  was  with  Hooker  at  Chancellorsville  and  the  minor 
engagements  of  that  movement,  and  was  mustered  out  at  Harrisburg 
on  I\Iay  20,    1863. 

In  a  third  nine  months'  regiment — the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty- 
first — Mifflin  county  furnished  Companies  D,  H,  and  K.  Of  Company 
D,  David  A.  ]\IcManigal  was  captain;  David  B.  Wilson,  first  lieutenant; 
D.  D.  Muthersbaugh,  second  lieutenant.  Company  H,  Benjamin  F. 
Keefer,  captain;  Robert  S.  Maxwell,  first  lieutenant;  W.  H.  Shoemaker, 
second  lieutenant.  Company  K,  Joseph  S.  Waream,  captain ;  Grant  T. 
Waters,  first  lieutenant;  David  B.  W^eber,  second  lieutenant.  Under 
command  of  Colonel  Peter  Allabach,  the  regiment  left  the  state  on 
August  15,  1S62,  and  for  some  time  was  engaged  in  picket  duty  about 
Fairfax  Court  House.  As  part  of  Humphrey's  division,  it  moved  to 
Antietam,  but  did  not  arrive  on  the  field  in  time  to  take  part  in  the 
battle.  Its  service  from  that  time  was  the  same  as  that  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Harrisburg,  ]\Iay 
23,  1863. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-third  regiment  (nine  months')  con- 
tained three  companies  from  Perry  county,  viz. :  G,  H,  and  I.  The 
officers  of  these  companies  were  as  follows:  Company  G,  F.  B.  Speak- 
man,  captain  (promoted  to  colonel  on  August  21,  1862)  ;  William  H. 
Sheibley,  first  lieutenant;  Joel  F.  Fredericks,  second  lieutenant.  Com- 
pany H,  David  L.  Tressler,  captain ;  Henry  Keck,  first  lieutenant ;  Hiram 
A.  Sleighter,  second  lieutenant.  Company  I,  Albert  B.  Demaree,  cap- 
tain; Hiram  Fertig,  first  lieutenant;  Samuel  R.  Deach,  second  lieutenant. 
Except  in  a  few  minor  movements,  the  service  of  this  regiment  was 
the  same  as  the  other  nine  months'  organizations.  It  was  mustered 
out  at  Harrisburg  by  companies.  May  21  to  26,  1863. 

In  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-ninth  regiment,  Company  I  came 


268  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

from  Huntingdon  county  and  in  the  regiment  were  a  few  Perry  coimty 
men.  Company  I  was  officered  at  the  time  of  the  muster  in  as  fol- 
lows :  Captain,  George  ^\'.  Speer ;  first  lieutenant,  Henry  C.  \\'eaver ; 
second  lieutenant,  D.  C.  ]\L  Appleby.  This  was  the  first  regiment  or- 
ganized for  a  "Bucktail  Brigade" — which  was  to  be  organized  on  the 
name  and  fame  of  the  original  Bucktail  regiment — but  before  the  bri- 
gade organization  could  be  completed  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  the 
front,  under  command  of  Colonel  Roy  Stone.  After  the  engagements 
at  South  Mountain  and  Antietam  it  was  at  Washington  until  February, 
1863,  when  it  joined  General  Burnside's  army  on  the  Rappahannock. 
It  fought  at  Chancellorsville.  Gettysburg,  and  in  many  of  the  severe 
fights  of  the  campaign  of  1864  against  Richmond.  In  December,  1864, 
it  was  sent  to  Elmira,  New  York,  to  guard  Confederate  prisoners 
and  remained  there  until  mustered  out  on  June  24,  1865. 

There  were  a  few  men  from  Perry  and  Juniata  counties  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fiftieth,  and  Company  D  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
first  was  recruited  in  Juniata  county.  Of  this  company  George  F.  ^Ic- 
Farland  was  captain;  George  S.  ]\Iills,  first  lieutenant;  Benjamin  F. 
Oliver,  second  lieutenant.  The  regiment  was  mustered  in  for  nine 
months  and  left  Harrisburg  on  November  26,  1862,  for  \\'ashington. 
During  the  winter  it  was  on  picket  duty  and  engaged  in  watching  guer- 
rilla movements  in  \'irginia  until  February,  when  it  was  attached  to  the 
First  brigade,  Doubleday's  division,  Reynold's  corps,  with  which  it  took 
part  in  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville.  Captain  ]\IcFarland  had  been 
promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel  in  November,  1862,  and  commanded  the 
regiment  at  Gettysburg,  where  General  Doubleday  says  "they  won  an 
imperishable  fame."  Its  losses  in  that  battle  were  68  killed,  199 
wounded  and  100  missing — three-fourths  of  the  number  who  went  into 
the  fight.     It  was  mustered  otit  at  Harrisburg  on  July  27,  1863. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-second  (Third  heavy  artillery)  con- 
tained a  number  of  men  from  Mifflin  and  Juniata  counties,  but  they  were 
credited  elsewhere.  Perry  county  furnished  some  members  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-eighth  under  the  same  conditions. 

Company  F,  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-first  (Sixteenth  cavalry),  was 
raised  in  Juniata  county  and  Company  ^l  in  ^lifflin.  Of  the  former 
John  K.  Robison  was  captain ;  Henry  H.  Wilson,  first  lieutenant :  \\"il- 
liam  H.  Billmeyer,  second  lieutenant.     Company  M  was   officered  by 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY  269 

John  Stroup,  captain;  Ira  R.  Alexander,  first  lieutenant;  Charles  W. 
Jones,  second  lieutenant.  Commanded  by  Colonel  John  I.  Gregg,  the 
regiment  left  the  state  on  the  last  day  of  November,  1862,  for  Wash- 
ington and  soon  afterward  went  into  camp  at  Bladensburg,  ^Maryland. 
In  January,  1863,  it  was  assigned  to  Averill's  brigade  and  the  remain- 
der of  the  winter  was  passed  in  picket  duty.  It  was  active  in  the  spring 
campaign  that  culminated  in  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  and  after  that 
disaster  was  attached  to  General  Pleasonton's  cavalry  division.  It  har- 
assed Lee's  army  in  its  northward  march  in  1863  and  took  a  small  part 
in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  The  remainder  of  the  year  1863  was  spent 
in  Virginia,  where  the  Sixteenth  cavalry  was  frequently  engaged,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1864  joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  for  the  advance 
on  Richmond.  It  is  difficult  to  follow  all  the  movements  of  a  cavalry 
regiment,  but  the  Sixteenth  Pennsylvania  was  generally  where  it  was 
needed  at  the  right  time  during  the  entire  siege  of  Petersburg.  It 
fought  at  Trevillian  Station,  Hawes'  Shop,  Deep  Run,  Poplar  Spring 
Church,  Hatcher's  Run,  Dinwiddle  Court  House,  Five  Forks,  and  Sail- 
or's Creek.  After  Lee's  surrender  it  was  sent  to  North  Carolina  to 
assist  General  Sherman  and  later  was  ordered  to  Lynchburg  to  guard 
stores  there.     It  was  mustered  out  on  August  7,  1865. 

Perry  county  furnished  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-second 
regiment  (Seventeenth  cavalry),  which  was  organized  in  the  fall  of 
1S62.  John  B.  ^McAllister  was  captain  of  Company  I;  Andrew  D. 
Vanling,  first  lieutenant :  Lewis  W.  Orman,  second  lieutenant.  Captain 
McAllister  was  made  lieutenant-colonel  soon  after  the  regiment  was 
organized.  It  was  ordered  to  V'irginia  on  November  25,  1862,  and 
during  the  winter  was  broken  up  into  detachments  for  scout  and  picket 
duty.  In  the  Chancellorsville  campaign  the  Perry^  county  company  was 
on  escort  duty  with  General  Aleade.  The  Sixteenth,  as  part  of  General 
Buford's  command,  was  one  of  the  first  regiments  to  become  engaged 
at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  and  all  through  the  late  summer  and  fall 
of  that  year  it  was  active  in  watching  Lee's  movements  and  skirmishing 
with  the  enemy.  In  the  summer  of  1S64  it  was  with  Sheridan  in  the 
Shenandoah  and  followed  that  intrepid  cavalry  commander  until  the 
surrender  at  Appomattox. 

Perry  county  furnished  a  few  men  for  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixty- 
sixth  regiment  and  Juniata  county  contributed  Company  F  to  the  One 


2/0  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Hundred  and  Seventy-first,  which  was  dratted  from  the  mihtia  for  nine 
months'  service.  The  officers  of  this  company  were:  WiUiam  H.  ilc- 
Clellan,  captain;  Frederick  S.  Schwahn,  first  Heutenant;  David  Geib. 
second  Heutenant.  Late  in  November,  1862,  the  regiment  was  ordered 
to  Suffolk,  Virginia,  where  it  was  for  a  time  attached  to  General  Ferry's 
division,  but  about  a  month  later  it  was  sent  to  Newbern,  North  Caro- 
lina, where  it  passed  the  winter.  In  June.  1863,  it  was  ordered  back  to 
Virginia  and  after  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  was  for  a  few  days  at  Har- 
per's Ferry,  moving  thence,  via  Boonesboro,  Maryland,  to  Frederick 
City.  On  August  3d  it  was  ordered  to  Harrisburg  and  there  mustered 
out  a  few  days  later. 

Perry  county  furnished  some  men  for  the  One  Hundred  and  Sev- 
enty-second and  practically  all  of  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Sev- 
enty-third regiment  (nine  months'  drafted  militia).  The  officers  of  this 
company  were :  Henry  Charles,  captain ;  Isaac  D.  Dunkel,  first  lieuten- 
ant; Samuel  Reen,  second  lieutenant.  On  November  30,  1862,  this  regi- 
ment, commanded  by  Colonel  Daniel  Nagle,  left  Harrisburg  for  Nor- 
folk, Virginia,  where  it  was  emplo3'ed  on  guard  duty  until  the  following 
Ma}',  after  which  it  did  provost  duty  until  July.  It  was  then  ordered 
to  ^^"ashington  and  from  there  into  Maryland  to  assist  in  the  pursuit 
of  Lee's  army,  then  retreating  from  Gettysburg.  Then,  after  guarding 
the  Orange  &  Alexandria  railroad  mitil  August  13th,  it  was  ordered 
to  Harrisburg,  where  it  was  mustered  out  on  the  i8th. 

Company  M,  One  Hundred  and  Eightieth  regiment,  was  raised  in 
Huntingdon  county  with  the  following  officers :  Captain,  Samuel  L. 
Huyett :  first  lieutenant,  Roland  C.  Allen ;  second  lieutenant,  Edward 
Brady.  This  regiment,  also  known  as  the  Nineteenth  cavalry,  was  re- 
cruited under  orders  from  the  war  department,  dated  June  2,  1863, 
by  Colonel  Alexander  Cummings,  who  became  its  commander.  Soon 
after  it  was  mustered  in  it  was  ordered  to  Tennessee  and  attached  to 
the  cavalry  division  of  General  B.  H.  Grierson.  It  took  part  in  the 
celebrated  raid  along  the  Mississippi  Central  railroad  and  was  in  nu- 
merous engagements  with  the  Confederate  cavalry  under  Forrest.  At 
the  battle  of  Nashville  in  December,  1864,  it  formed  part  of  General 
Wilson's  cavalry  command  and  was  active  in  the  pursuit  of  Hood's  army 
into  Alabama.  In  February,  1865,  it  was  reduced  to  a  battalion  and 
ordered  to  New  Orleans,  where  it  was  mustered  out  on  May  14,  1866. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA   VALLEY  271 

The  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-first  (Twentieth  cavalry)  was  re- 
cruited in  the  summer  of  1863  and  mustered  in  for  a  term  of  six  months. 
Company  E  was  recruited  chiefly  in  Mii^in  county,  and  Perry  county 
also  contributed  a  number  of  her  sons  to  the  organization.  Joseph  T. 
Rothrock  was  captain  of  Company  E;  Samuel  Montgomery,  first  lieu- 
tenant ;  Andrew  W.  Decker,  second  lieutenant.  It  was  ordered  to  Mary- 
land immediately  upon  being  mustered  in,  under  command  of  Colonel 
John  E.  Wyncoop,  and  assisted  in  moving  trains.  The  several  compa- 
nies were  then  on  detached  duty  for  a  time,  when  seven  of  them  were 
united  and  late  in  November  defeated  a  portion  of  General  Imboden's 
forces,  taking  a  number  of  prisoners.  It  was  mustered  out  on  January 
7,   1864,  and  was  cjuickly  reorganized  for  the  three  years'  service. 

In  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-fourth  regiment,  organized  in  the 
spring  of  1864,  there  were  a  number  of  men  from  Mifflin  county,  espe- 
cially in  Companies  D  and  H,  and  the  lieutenant-colonel,  Charles  Kleck- 
ner,  was  from  Perry  county. 

Companies  A  and  K,  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-fifth  regiment  (the 
Twenty-second  cavalr}-).  were  recruited  in  Huntingdon  county.  Morti- 
mer Morrow  was  captain  of  Company  A :  John  H.  Boring,  first  lieu- 
tenant ;  Eugene  Dougherty,  second  lieutenant.  The  regiment  was  or- 
ganized in  camp  near  Chambersburg  by  uniting  the  Ringgold  cavalry 
battalion  with  five  companies  that  had  been  raised  for  the  six  months' 
service  in  July,  1863,  and  was  under  command  of  Colonel  Jacob  Hig- 
gins.  The  Ringgold  battalion  entered  the  service  in  1862,  but  the  Hunt- 
ingdon county  companies  were  not  added  until  the  organization  of  the 
regiment  in  February,  1864.  Mifflin  county  furnished  a  detachment  and 
Juniata  and  Perry  counties  were  also  represented.  It  was  ordered  to 
Virginia,  where  it  was  attached  to  General  Averill's  command.  Among 
the  engagements  in  which  it  participated  were  Darkesville,  Bunker  Hill, 
Buckleytown,  Martinsburg,  Opequan,  Fisher's  Hill,  3.Iount  A^ernon 
Forge,  and  Cedar  Creek.  About  one-half  the  regiment  was  mustered  out 
in  April,  1865,  and  in  June  the  remnant  was  consolidated  with  the 
Eighteenth  cavalry,  forming  the  Third  Provisional  cavalry,  which  Avas 
mustered  out  on  October  31,  1865. 

In  Companies  D  and  K,  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-seventh  regiment, 
there  were  twenty-si.x  Perry  county  men,  and  Huntingdon  county  fur- 
nished Company  B  to  the  One  Hundred  and  Ninety-second,  which  was 


272  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

called  out  on  July  12,  1864,  for  one  hundred  days,  under  command  of 
Colonel  William  B.  Thomas.  The  officers  of  Company  B  were :  Wil- 
liam F.  Johnston,  captain ;  Alfred  Tyhurst,  first  lieutenant ;  Henry  Hoff- 
man, second  lieutenant.  Company  H  also  contained  a  large  number  of 
Huntingdon  county  men;  the  officers  of  this  company  were :  Thomas  ]\L 
Leester,  captain ;  John  F.  Snyder,  first  lieutenant ;  [Mart  Cunningham, 
second  lieutenant.  This  regiment  was  originally  the  Twentieth  militia, 
which  had  been  called  out  for  a  short  time  in  1862,  and  again  in  1863, 
just  before  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  to  aid  in  repelling  the  invaders. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Xinety-fourth,  also  a  one  hundred  days'  regi- 
ment, was  organized  at  Camp  Curtin  in  July,  1864.  under  command  of 
Colonel  James  Xagle.  Company  H  was  recruited  in  ^Mifflin  county 
with  George  W.  Staats  as  captain ;  John  W.  Kartner,  first  lieutenant ; 
Francis  S.  Haeseler.  second  lieutenant.  During  its  term  of  service  the 
regiment  served  by  detachments,  performing  provost  duty  in  the  camps 
about  Baltimore.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Harrisburg  on  Xovember  6, 
1864. 

A  detachment  of  Aliftlin  county  men  served  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Xinety-fifth  regiment,  which  was  organized  as  a  one  hundred  days" 
regiment  in  July,  1864,  but  at  the  expiration  of  that  term  was  reorgan- 
ized and  continued  in  service  until  January  31,  1866. 

The  Two  Hundred  and  First  regiment  (one  year's  service)  was 
organized  at  Camp  Curtin  on  August  29,  1864,  under  command  of  Col- 
onel F.  A.  Awl.  In  this  regiment  there  were  a  number  of  Perry  county 
men,  recruited  at  Duncannon.  It  was  occupied  in  guard  and  provost 
duty  until  May  21,   1865,  when  it  was  mustered  out. 

Company  B,  Two  Hundred  and  Second  regiment,  was  recruited  in 
Juniata  county  and  was  mustered  in  with  the  regiment  at  Camp  Cur- 
tin on  September  3,  1864,  for  one  year.  Lewis  Degan  was  the  captain; 
William  X^.  Sterrett,  first  lieutenant ;  Abner  S.  Bear,  second  lieutenant. 
In  the  same  regiment  Huntingdon  county  furnished  Company  K,  with 
A.  Wilson  Decker  as  captain :  John  S.  Morrison,  first  lieutenant :  Peter 
Shaver,  second  lieutenant.  The  regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel 
Charles  Albright,  was  in  Virginia  nearly  the  entire  period  of  its  enlist- 
ment, but  saw  no  fighting  except  occasional  skirmishes  with  guerrillas. 
It  was  mustered  out  at  Harrisburg,  August  3,  1865. 

In  the  Two  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Company  D  was  recruited 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  273 

in  Huntingdon  county  and  Companies  F  and  K  in  Mifflin  county.  The 
officers  of  Company  D  were:  Thomas  B.  Reed,  captain;  Jonas  B. 
Shoultz,  first  Heutenant:  Davis  H.  Geissinger,  second  Heutenant.  Of 
Company  F,  Jacob  F.  Hamaker,  captain;  John  Swan,  first  Heutenant; 
Henry  Printz,  second  Heutenant.  Company  K  was  officered  by  F.  B. 
]\[cClenahan,  captain ;  Samuel  Haffly,  first  Heutenant ;  Jacob  Kohler,  sec- 
ond Heutenant.  The  regiment  was  mustered  in  at  Camp  Curtin  on  Sep- 
tember 2,  1864,  for  one  year,  with  Joseph  A.  Matthews  as  colonel. 
Three  days  later  it  moved  for  the  front  and,  after  a  short  time  in  the 
\\'ashington  defenses,  was  sent  to  City  Point,  Virginia,  as  an  escort 
to  some  1,300  drafted  men.  About  a  month  later  it  was  attached  to 
General  Hartranft's  provisional  brigade  of  the  Ninth  corps  and  was 
under  fire  for  the  first  time  at  the  recapture  of  Fort  Stedman,  March 
25,  1865.  It  was  again  heavily  engaged  on  April  2nd,  when  the  first 
assault  was  made  on  the  inner  line  of  works  at  Petersburg.  It  remained 
on  duty  in  Virginia  until  ordered  home  about  the  first  of  June,  and  was 
mustered  out  on  June  2,  1865. 

Four  Perry  county  companies — E,  F,  G,  and  I — were  recruited  for 
the  Two  Hundred  and  Eighth  regiment,  which  was  organized  on  Sep- 
tember 12,  1864,  and  mustered  in  for  one  year,  under  command  of 
Colonel  Alfred  B.  ]\IcCalmont.  The  officers  of  these  companies  were  as 
follows:  Company  E,  F.  M.  McKeehan.  captain;  John  T.  Mehaffie. 
first  lieutenant ;  Solomon  T.  Buck,  second  lieutenant.  Company  F,  Gard 
C.  Palm,  captain ;  Henry  Schreffler,  first  lieutenant ;  Francis  A.  Campbell, 
second  lieutenant.  Company  G,  Benjamin  F.  Miller,  captain;  William 
A.  Zinn,  first  lieutenant;  William  Fosselman,_  second  lieutenant.  Com- 
pany I,  James  H.  Marshall,  captain;  Isaac  D.  Dunkel,  first  lieutenant; 
John  D.  Neilson,  second  lieutenant.  The  regiment  left  Harrisburg  the 
dav  after  it  was  organized  for  the  James  river,  where  it  was  attached 
to  Potter's  brigade,  but  a  little  later  it  was  made  a  part  of  the  First  bri- 
gade. Third  division.  Ninth  corps,  commanded  by  General  Hartranft. 
It  was  engaged  at  Fort  Stedman,  capturing  300  prisoners,  and  was  in 
the  final  assault  on  the  Petersburg  works.  On  June  i,  1865,  the  recruits 
were  transferred  to  the  Fifty-first  regiment  and  the  other  members  were 
mustered  out. 

Mifflin  countv  contributed  Companies  H  and  I  to  the  Two  Hundred 
and  Tenth  regiment,  which  was  recruited  in  the  late  summer  and  fall 


2/4  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNL\TA    VALLEY 

of  1864  for  one  year's  service.  John  R.  Miller  was  captain  of  Company 
H ;  William  P.  Miller,  first  lieutenant ;  J.  ^^^  Muthersbough,  second  lieu- 
tenant. Of  Company  I,  Perry  J.  Tate  was  captain;  James  H.  Foster, 
first  lieutenant;  Charles  J.  Sefton,  second  lieutenant.  Under  command 
of  Colonel  William  Sergeant,  the  regiment  left  Harrisburg  for  the  front 
at  Petersburg,  immediately  after  it  was  mustered  in.  It  was  in  action 
at  Hatcher's  Run.  the  Weldon  Railroad,  Dabney's  Mills.  Gravelly  Run, 
and  was  present  at  Lee's  surrender  at  Appomattox.  It  was  mustered  out 
on  May  30,  1865. 

Martin  L.  Littlefield,  first  lieutenant,  and  thirteen  men  from  Juniata 
county  were  in  Company  G,  Two  Hundred  and  Thirteenth  regiment,  or- 
ganized in  March,  1865,  under  command  of  Colonel  John  A.  Gorgas. 
It  served  only  about  fort}'  days,  although  mustered  in  for  one  year, 
until  the  war  was  declared  at  an  end.  but  it  remained  in  the  \Vashington 
defenses  until  November  iS,  1865,  when  it  was  mustered  out  of 
service. 

What  were  known  as  the  "Emergency  Troops"  were  called  out  in 
1862  and  1863  by  Governor  Curtin  to  repel  the  Confederate  invasions 
of  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania.  In  the  Third  emergency  regiment  Com- 
pany E  was  from  Juniata  county.  Companies  F  and  G  from  Huntingdon, 
and  men  from  the  valley  counties  were  in  some  of  the  other  companies. 
Mifflin  county  furnished  two  companies — A  and  C — to  the  Fourth 
emergency  regiment,  and  in  the  Sixth,  Perry  county  furnished  Compa- 
nies D  and  I. 

When  it  was  rumored  in  the  summer  of  1863  that  the  Confederates 
contemplated  the  destruction  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  in  the  vicinity 
of  Mount  Union,  the  Eighteenth  militia  was  called  out  to  protect  the 
road.  Companies  I  and  K,  commanded  respectively  by  Captain  William 
C.  Laird  and  Captain  John  Deitrick,  were  from  Juniata  county;  Compa- 
nies D  and  E,  commanded  by  Captain  A.  C.  Simpson  and  Simon  P. 
Wolverton,  were  from  Mifflin  and  Snyder  counties.  Independent  com- 
panies were  also  organized  in  Mifflin  county  under  command  of  Cap- 
tains A.  B.  Selheimer,  James  E.  Johnston,  William  Mann,  J.  T.  Roth- 
rock,  and  David  B.  Weber.  Captain  Johnston's  company  garrisoned  the 
block-house  at  Mount  Union  and  defended  the  roads  to  the  southward, 
and  Captain  Mann's  company  served  as  mounted  scouts  in  Fulton  county. 
This  is  known  as  the  "Shade  Gap  and  Mount  L'nion  campaign." 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  275 

Throughout  the  entire  war  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  was  prompt  to 
respond  to  every  call  for  volunteers,  and  in  no  section  of  the  state  was 
the  response  more  prompt  than  in  the  Juniata  valley.  Nor  were  there 
any  soldiers  in  the  field  that  made  a  more  enviable  record  for  valor. 
These  brave  men  have  been  remembered  by  the  people  of  the  counties 
from  which  they  volunteered  by  the  erection  of  soldiers'  monuments  and 
the  decoration  of  their  graves  on  the  30th  of  every  May.  They  gave 
some  of  their  best  years  during  the  vigor  of  their  manhood  in  preserv- 
ing the  Union  the  forefathers  established  and  gave  to  their  posterity  a 
united  country.  When  the  war  ended  the  survivors  returned  to  their 
homes,  shops,  and  fields  and  again  took  up  the  labors  that  were  inter- 
rupted by  the  "call  to  arms."  The  country  has  nothing  of  which  it 
should  be  more  proud  than  its  citizen  soldiery.  While  the  "Boys  in 
Blue"  were  battling  for  their  country,  the  people  at  home  were  not  idle. 
Sanitary  commissions  and  relief  organizations  were  formed  and  these 
sent  needed  supplies  to  the  hospitals  or  contributed  aid  to  the  soldiers' 
families. 

SP.^NISH-AMERIC.^N    WAR 

During  the  year  1897  and  the  early  part  of  1898  the  condition  of 
afi'airs  on  the  island  of  Cuba  was  a  subject  of  intense  interest  in  the 
United  States.  Legislatures  passed  resolutions  asking  the  Federal  gov- 
ernment to  intervene  in  behalf  of  the  suffering  Cubans.  In  his  message 
to  Congress  in  1897  President  McKinley  stated  that  the  question  had 
received  his  "most  anxious  and  earnest  consideration."  On  February 
15,  1898,  the  United  States  battleship  "Maine"  was  blown  up  as  she  lay 
at  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Havana,  and  this  incident  increased  the  ex- 
citement to  fever  heat.  On  April  20,  1898,  Congress  adopted  a  resolu- 
tion authorizing  the  president  "to  use  the  army  and  navy  of  the  United 
States  to  compel  Spain  to  abandon  her  sovereignty  over  Cuba."  Three 
days  later  the  president  issued  a  proclamation  referring  to  the  authority 
thus  conferred  upon  him  and  said  that,  "by  virtue  of  the  power  vested  in 
me  by  the  Constitution  and  the  laws,  and  deeming  sufficient  reason  to 
exist,  I  have  thought  fit  to  call  forth,  and  hereby  do  call  forth,  volunteers 
to  the  aggregate  number  of  125,000,  in  order  to  carry  into  effect  the  pur- 
pose of  the  said  resolution ;  the  same  to  be  apportioned,  as  far  as  prac- 
ticable, among  the  several  states  and  territories  and  the  District  of  Co- 


276  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

lumbia,  according  to  population,  and  to  serve  for  two  years,  unless  sooner 
discharged." 

Congress  formally  declared  war  on  April  25,  1S9S,  and  the  same 
day  the  secretary  of  war  notified  Governor  Hastings,  of  Pennsylvania, 
that  the  quota  of  his  state  was  ten  regiments  of  infantry  and  four  bat- 
teries of  artillery.  Immediately  the  mobilization  of  the  National  Guard 
at  Mount  Gretna  was  commenced  and,  on  the  2Sth,  the  entire  division 
was  ready  for  duty.  True  to  her  history  and  traditions,  the  old  Key- 
stone State  was  quick  to  answer  her  country's  call. 

The  Fifth  regiment  contained  two  companies  from  the  Juniata  val- 
ley, viz. :  Company  A,  of  Huntingdon  county,  and  Company  G,  of  Alif- 
ilin.  The  officers  of  Company  A  were:  John  S.  Bare,  captain:  John  C. 
Dunkle,  first  lieutenant :  Emanuel  E.  Eck,  second  lieutenant.  Louis  N. 
Slagle  was  captain  of  the  [Mitflin  county  company;  James  S.  Stackpole 
was  first  lieutenant,  and  \\'iniam  P.  Schell,  second  lieutenant.  A  few 
Juniata  county  men  were  in  Company  G  and  some  of  Alifflin  county's 
sons  were  in  Company  E,  as  well  as  in  the  Sixth  regiment.  The  Fifth 
regiment  was  mustered  into  the  L'nited  States  service  on  ]\Iay  11,  1898, 
with  Theodore  Burchfield,  of  Altoona,  as  colonel,  and  Rufus  C.  Elder, 
of  Lewistown,  as  lieutenant-colonel.  On  the  17th  it  started  for  Chicka- 
mauga,  Georgia,  where  it  remained  in  camp  until  August.  In  July  it 
was  recruited  to  a  full  regiment  of  twelve  companies,  106  men  to  each 
company,  and  was  assigned  to  the  First  brigade.  Third  division.  First 
army  corps.  On  August  22nd  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Lexington, 
Kentucky,  and  went  into  Camp  Hamilton.  On  September  17th  the  men 
were  granted  a  thirty  days'  furlough  and  never  returned  to  camp,  as 
the  war  was  of  short  duration  and  there  was  no  further  need  of  their 
services.     The  regiment  was  mustered  out  on  November  7,  iSgS. 

During  their  brief  term  of  service  the  Juniata  valley  boys  had  no 
opportunity  of  demonstrating  what  they  would  have  done  in  the  presence 
of  the  enemy.  But  many  of  them  were  "worthy  sons  of  honored  sires," 
whose  fathers  upheld  the  Lnion  in  the  "dark  days  of  '61,"  and  whose 
more  remote  ancestors  followed  Washington  through  the  struggle  for 
independence,  hence  there  is  little  doubt  that  had  the  opportunitv  been 
given  them  they  would  have  rendered  a  good  account  of  themselves. 


CHAPTER    XIV 

ROADS    AND    TRANSPORTATION 

Indian  Trails — General  Braddock's  Road — Tiiscarora  Path — First  Public  Highways — 
Turnpikes — Early  Stage  Routes — Post  Riders — Larger  Streams  Declared  Highways 
— "Arks" — Internal  Improvements  under  State  Supervision — Canal  Companies 
Chartered — Pennsylvania  Canal — First  Railroad — Projected  Lines — Pennsylvania 
Railroad — Huntingdon  &  Broad  Top — East  Broad  Top — Lewisburg  &  Tyrone — 
Mifflin  &  Centre — Sunbury  &  Lewistown — Failures — Susquehanna  River  &  Western 
— Newport  &  Sherman's  Valley — Tuscarora  Valley — Kishacoquillas  Valley — Good 
Roads  Movement— State  Roads— A  Century  and  a  Half  of  Progress. 

WHEX  the  untutored  savage — X'ature's  eldest  child — desired  to 
move  from  one  place  to  another,  he  followed  the  lines  of  least 
resistance  and,  moving  over  the  easiest  ground,  made  a  sinuous 
pathway  through  the  wilds  of  the  unbroken  forest.  Others  followed  the 
route  until  that  sinuous  pathway,  with  all  its  devious  windings,  became 
a  recognized  thoroughfare.  Long  before  the  coming  of  the  white  man, 
central  and  western  Pennsylvania  were  ramified  by  Indian  trails,  many 
of  which  have  become  the  highways,  or  even  the  railway  routes,  of 
civilization. 

In  early  days  the  Juniata  valley  was  one  of  the  leading  pathways 
between  the  Atlantic  seaboard  and  the  Ohio  valley.  An  Indian  trail 
followed  the  windings  of  the  river,  and  over  this  trail  the  Delaware 
Indians  passed  in  1742  on  their  way  to  attend  a  council  at  Philadelphia. 
Earlv  traders  and  militar}-  scouting  expeditions  used  it,  and,  when  the 
first  settlers  sought  homes  along  the  Juniata,  they  followed  the  trail 
that  had  been  used  by  the  natives  probably  for  centuries.  Governor 
Morris  described  this  path  as  "only  a  horse-way  through  woods  and 
over  mountains,  not  passable  with  any  carriage."  In  1755  the  trail  was 
improved  by  Colonel  James  Burd  for  the  passage  of  General  Braddock's 
armv  on  the  way  to  Fort  Duquesne.  where  the  cit)-  of  Pittsburgh  now 
stands.  At  the  October  term  of  the  Cumberland  county  court  in  1769 
a  petition  was  received  from  the  settlers  along  the  trail,  asking  that  it 

^77     .   : 


278  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

be  made  a  bridle  path  from  Aughwick  (now  Shirleysburg,  Huntingdon 
county)  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kishacoquillas  creek.  Whether  or  not  that 
petition  was  granted  is  not  known,  but  in  subsequent  years  the  trail  was 
improved  from  time  to  time  by  order  of  the  court  until  it  developed 
into  the  historic  stage  and  mail  route  between  Philadelphia  and  Pitts- 
burgh. The  line  of  the  old  trail  is  now  closely  followed  for  many  miles 
by  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  one  of  the  great  trunk  lines  connecting  the 
East  and  West. 

Another  noted  Indian  pathway  was  that  used  by  the  Tuscarora  In- 
dians after  their  removal  to  New  York.  A  small  settlement  of  the  tribe 
remained  in  the  Tuscarora  valley,  in  what  is  now  Juniata  county,  and  this 
settlement  was  used  as  a  stopping  place  by  the  northern  and  southern 
portions  of  the  tribe  on  their  visits  to  each  other.  The  trail  ran  from 
the  county  of  the  Five  Nations  in  New  York  down  the  Susquehanna 
river  to  a  point  near  the  present  city  of  Sunbury,  where  it  turned  to  the 
southwest,  passing  near  Richfield  and  crossing  the  Juniata  near  where 
Port  Royal  now  stands.  After  crossing  the  river  it  led  up  the  Tuscarora 
valley,  entered  the  Path  valley  not  far  from  the  present  village  of  Con- 
cord, Franklin  county,  and  crossed  the  Potomac  near  Harper's  Ferry, 
Virginia.  This  trail,  which  was  known  as  the  "Tuscarora  Path,"  gave 
name  to  what  is  still  known  as  Path  valley.  From  Port  Royal  a  branch 
led  up  the  Licking  creek  valley  to  Lewistown,  and  after  the  Braddock 
expedition  in  1755  was  known  as  the  Fort  Granville  road. 

A  much  used  Indian  trail  entered  Huntingdon  county  not  far  from 
the  present  village  of  Blair's  Mills,  passed  up  the  Trough  Spring  branch 
of  the  Tuscarora  creek  through  Shade  gap,  then  followed  the  Black 
Log  valley  northward  to  the  creek  of  that  name  at  the  gap  east  of  Orbi- 
sonia.  From  there  it  ran  through  Shirleysburg  and  crossed  the  Juniata 
a  little  above  the  present  borough  of  ]\Iount  Union.  It  then  followed 
the  north  side  of  the  Juniata  to  the  lower  end  of  Cypress  island  (in  the 
borough  of  Huntingdon),  where  it  crossed  to  the  south  side  of  the  river 
and  continued  on  that  side  over  \\'arrior's  ridge  to  where  Alexandria 
now  stands.  Here  it  again  crossed  to  the  north  side  of  the  river,  then 
ran,  via  Water  Street  and  Canoe  valley,  to  Frankstown  and  Hollidays- 
burg  and  crossed  the  Allegheny  mountains  near  Kittanning  Point.  A 
branch  left  the  main  trail  at  Black  Log,  passed  the  three  springs  near 
the  borough  of  that  name,  crossed  the  Huntingdon  county  line  at  Side- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  279 

ling  Hill  gap,  and  then,  running  past  Bedford,  crossed  the  Allegheny 
mountains  some  distance  southwest  of  the  main  trail. 

In  1 76 1  the  Cumberland  county  court  ordered  a  road  to  be  laid  out 
from  Carlisle  to  Sherman's  valley.  This  is  the  earliest  official  mention 
of  a  highway  in  the  Indian  purchase  of  1754.  Viewers  were  appointed 
and,  in  January,  1762,  recommended  that  a  road  be  opened  through  the 
lands  of  Francis  West  and  others  "from  Carlisle  across  the  mountain 
and  through  Sherman's  valley  to  Alexander  Logan's,  and  from  thence 
to  the  Gap  in  the  Tuscarora  Mountain,  leading  to  Aughwick  and  Juneata 
as  the  nearest  and  best  way  from  the  head  of  Sherman's  valley  to  Car- 
lisle." 

The  greater  portion  of  this  route  is  in  Perry  and  Huntingdon  coun- 
ties. The  report  of  the  viewers  was  confirmed  by  the  court  and  the 
road  ordered  opened,  but  about  all  that  was  done  was  to  remove  the 
timber  from  a  strip  wide  enough  to  permit  the  passage  of  vehicles.  In 
the  spring  of  1767  a  number  of  petitions  for  the  opening  of  roads  were 
presented  to  the  court.  Among  these  were,  one  for  a  road  from  Baskins' 
ferry,  on  the  Susquehanna,  to  Andrew  Stephens'  ferry  on  the  Juniata, 
and  one  from  Sherman's  valley  to  the  Kishacoquillas  valley.  The  latter 
was  submitted  to  viewers,  who  reported  in  May,  1768,  in  favor  of  "a 
carriage  road  from  the  Sherman's  valley  road,  beginning  two  and  three- 
quarter  miles  from  Croghan's  (now  Sterrett's)  gap,  running  through 
Rye  township  and  across  the  Juniata  at  the  mouth  of  Sugar  run,  into 
Fermanagh  township,  and  thence  through  the  same  and  Derry  town- 
ship, up  the  north  side  of  the  Juniata  into  the  Kishacoquillas  valley." 
This  was  the  first  road  in  Juniata  and  Mifflin  counties. 

During  the  next  three  years  several  petitions  were  presented  asking 
for  the  opening  of  roads  in  various  parts  of  the  "New  Purchase." 
Among  these  were,  one  for  a  road  from  John  Furgus'  place,  in  Sher- 
man's valley,  to  the  Juniata  river,  below  William  Patterson's ;  one  from 
James  Gallaher's,  on  the  Juniata  river  to  Baskins'  ferry;  and  one  from 
Logan's  gap,  in  Armagh  township,  to  Penn's  valley.  The  road  from 
Gallaher's  to  Baskins'  ferry  was  confirmed  as  a  bridle  path  at  the  April 
term  in  1771,  but  no  further  record  can  be  found  to  show  the  fate  of 
the  other  petitions. 

At  the  January  sessions  in  1772,  the  Bedford  county  court  appointed 
viewers  for  a  road  "leading  from  the  Standing  Stone  or  Hart's  Log, 


28o  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

by  Boquet"s  spring  and  up  Woodcock  valle\'  to  the  crossing  of  Yellow 
creek,  and  from  thence  to  join  the  great  road  near  Bloody  Run."  Xo 
report  was  made  by  the  viewers  and  new  ones  were  appointed,  who  like- 
wise failed  to  report.  A  third  set  of  viewers  also  failed  to  report  and,  in 
April,  1774,  John  Piper,  Richard  Long,  John  Mitchell,  Samuel  Ander- 
son, and  James  Little  were  appointed.  They  laid  out  a  road  and  made 
report  the  following  July.  One  branch  of  this  road  ran  from  a  point 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Standing  Stone  creek  to  Boquet's  spring  (Mc- 
Connellstown)  and  the  other  from  Water  Street  narrows,  on  the  Franks- 
town  branch  of  the  Juniata,  to  intersect  the  first  at  Boquet's  spring. 
This  was  one  of  the  first  roads  in  Huntingdon  county. 

Another  early  road  in  that  county  was  one  built  in  1774  from  Silver's 
ford,  on  the  Juniata  river,  to  intersect  the  road  at  Burnt  Cabins.  It  was 
thirty-three  feet  wide  and  started  from  the  Juniata  about  a  mile  above 
the  mouth  of  Aughwick  creek,  ran  past  Roljert  Cluggage's  mill  and 
crossed  Aughwick  creek  north  of  old  Fort  Shirley. 

During  the  Revolution  little  attention  was  paid  to  road  building,  but 
upon  the  return  of  peace  a  number  of  highways  were  projected  and 
some  of  them  opened  into  roads  which  are  still  in  use.  Among  these 
were  roads  from  the  Raystown  branch  to  Fort  Littleton  and  Garard's 
mill,  below  RlcConnellstown ;  one  known  as  the  "Grafiius  road,"  which 
left  the  Hart's  Log  road  near  Pulpit  Rocks  and  led  to  the  settlements 
on  the  river  above  Petersburg:  and  "Thompson's  road"  in  the  Plank 
valley.  A  public  road  from  Huntingdon  to  Three  Springs,  via  Cassville, 
was  laid  out  in  1790,  and  one  from  Huntingdon  to  McCormick's  mill 
the  same  }-ear. 

Farther  down  the  Juniata  valley  roads  were  btiilt  "from  Hamilton's 
mill,  on  Lost  creek,  to  Miller's  tavern,  near  the  ferry  that  leads  to 
Carlisle  from  Juniata" :  from  Enoch  Anderson's  mill  on  the  Juniata  to 
Robert  Nelson's  and  thence  to  George  Pyle's,  on  the  line  of  Northum- 
berland county:  from  David  Miller's  ferry  on  the  Juniata  to  John  Gra- 
bill's  mill  on  Mahantango  creek,  and  one  from  Lewistown  to  intersect 
the  one  running  from  Beaver  Dam  township  to  the  Northumberland 
countv  line.  A  road  was  laid  out  in  September,  1890,  from  Lewistown 
to  Drake's  ferry,  via  Brightfield's  run  and  Holliday's  mill.  The  same 
year  a  road  was  laid  out  from  "Run  Gap  in  the  Tuscarora  mountain, 
thence   by   Thomas   Turbutt's  tan-yard,   the   nearest  and   best   way  to 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  281 

Joseph  McClelland's  ferry."  INIcClelland's  ferry  was  where  Mifflintown 
now  stands.  Many  more  roads  were  petitioned  for,  but  the  records  do 
not  show  that  they  were  built  until  years  afterward,  and  some  of  them 
never. 

Early  in  the  nineteenth  century  agitation  was  started  in  favor  of 
turnpikes.  In  March,  1807,  the  legislature  passed  an  act  incorporating 
a  company  to  build  a  turnpike  from  Harrisburg  to  Lewistown.  The 
act  was  passed  in  response  to  a  petition  asking  for  a  charter  to  construct 
a  turnpike  from  Harrisburg  to  Pittsburgh  along  the  Juniata  river. 
Among  the  incorporators  of  the  Harrisburg  and  Lewistown  section 
were  John  Xorris,  David  Davidson,  John  Bratton,  \\'illiam  Thompson, 
Ezra  Doty,  James  Knox,  George  McClelland,  and  John  Brown,  of  Mif- 
flin county.  Under  the  same  act  the  Lewistown  &  Huntingdon  Turnpike 
Company  was  organized  and  the  road  between  those  two  points  was 
completed  in  1818.     The  east  end  was  not  completed  until  1825. 

In  1808  a  company  was  organized  to  run  a  line  of  stages  from 
Harrisburg  to  Alexandria.  A  circular  was  issued  on  April  14,  1808, 
announcing  that  the  first  stage  would  start  on  May  3d  from  Berryhill's 
tavern,  in  Harrisburg,  and  rim  via  Clark's  ferry,  Millerstown,  Thompson- 
town,  ^Mifflintown,  Lewistown,  Waynesburg,  and  Huntingdon,  to  Alex- 
andria. Stages  on  this  line  ran  once  a  week,  leaving  Harrisburg  on 
Tuesdays  and  Alexandria  on  Saturdays.  The  fare  was  six  cents  a  mile, 
fourteen  pounds  of  baggage  free,  150  pounds  of  baggage  to  be  equal  to 
a  passenger.  The  first  stage-coach,  called  the  "Experiment,"  arrived 
at  Huntingdon  on  the  evening  of  May  5,  1808,  and  at  Alexandria  the 
dav  following.  In  1828  the  line  was  extended  to  Pittsburgh  and  the 
mails  were  carried  by  the  company  three  times  a  week.  The  next  year 
the  proprietors  made  arrangements  with  the  government  to  carry  mails 
daily.     Upon  the  completion  of  the  canal  the  stages  were  discontinued. 

On  January  3,  1813,  in  response  to  a  petition  of  Judge  ^^■illiam 
Brown  and  other  citizens  of  Mifflin  county,  an  act  was  passed  incorpo- 
rating a  company  to  build  a  turnpike  from  the  court-house  in  Lewistown 
to  Alexander  Reed's  house  in  the  Kishacoquillas  valley.  Books  were 
opened  in  October  of  that  year,  the  stock  was  subscribed,  the  road  built 
and  is  still  in  use. 

Before  the  introduction  of  the  turnpike  and  stage-coach  the  mails 
were  carried  by  post-riders  to  all  the  pioneer  postoffices  in  the  interior. 


282  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

In  fair  weather  post-riders  made  the  trip  from  Harrisburg  to  Hunting- 
don in  four  days.  In  1853  Zachariah  Rice  estabhshed  a  daily  stage 
from  Landisburg  to  Newport,  via  Loysville,  Greenpark,  and  Bloom- 
field,  and  a  tri-weekly  stage  to  Germantown.  His  sons,  Samuel,  Jesse, 
James,  Henry,  William,  Joseph  and  Zachariah,  all  became  stage  drivers 
on  these  lines  and,  after  the  death  of  the  founder  in  1880,  succeeded 
to  the  business.  A  line  had  been  started  from  Clark's  ferry  to  Landis- 
burg by  Robert  Clark,  about  1829,  but  after  a  short  time  it  was  aban- 
doned. 

Before  the  construction  of  roads  in  the  Juniata  valley  at  public  ex- 
pense, the  larger  streams  were  utilized  as  highways.  By  the  act  of 
March  9,  1771,  the  Juniata  was  declared  a  public  highway  as  far  as 
Bedford  and  Frankstown  and  a  number  of  other  streams  were  declared 
to  be  open  for  the  purposes  of  navigation,  etc.  James  Wright,  George 
Ross,  Thomas  Minshall,  John  Louden,  Alexander  Lowrey,  William  Mc- 
Clay,  Samuel  Hunter,  Jr.,  William  Patterson,  Robert  Callender,  Charles 
Steward,  Reuben  Haines,  Thomas  Holt  and  William  Richardson  were 
appointed  commissioners  for  clearing  the  streams  and  making  them 
navigable.  No  appropriations  were  made  to  defray  expenses,  but  the 
commissioners  were  authorized  to  receive  any  sums  "given,  granted  or 
subscribed,"  etc.  Besides  the  Juniata,  the  Susquehanna,  Bald  Eagle, 
and  Penn's  creeks,  and  a  few  other  streams  were  included  in  the  pro- 
visions of  the  act.  While  the  people  would  have  no  doubt  been  pleased 
to  have  seen  the  streams  improved  at  the  public  expense,  they  were 
imwilling  to  donate  any  considerable  amount  for  the  purpose,  hence  the 
benefits  derived  from  the  law  were  comparatively  slight. 

Nevertheless,  the  Juniata  came  to  be  a  thoroughfare  for  navigation 
in  1796,  when  the  first  "ark"  went  down  that  stream  to  the  Susquehanna. 
It  was  built  by  a  German  named  Kryder,  at  his  mill  above  Huntingdon, 
and  loaded  with  300  barrels  of  flour.  The  ark  has  been  described  as  "a 
large,  strongly-built  and  high-sided  flatboat  in  almost  universal  use  on 
the  rivers  of  Pennsylvania — particularly  the  Susquehanna  and  its  tribu- 
taries— for  the  transportation  of  all  kinds  of  produce  down  the  streams 
to  market."  The  arks  were  never  brought  back  up  the  river,  but  were 
sold  for  whatever  they  would  bring  at  the  point  where  the  cargo  was 
discharged.  The  descent  of  the  Juniata  was  always  made  at  a  time  when 
there  was  a  good  stage  of  water  in  the  river.     Each  ark  was  managed 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  283 

by  a  crew  of  from  three  to  five  men  and  some  of  them  were  large  enough 
to  carry  twenty  or  twenty-five  tons  of  freight.  Some  days  they  would 
float  down  the  river  at  the  rate  of  six  or  eight  miles  an  hour  and  they 
continued  in  use  until  superseded  by  the  canal  boat. 

During  the  administration  of  Governor  Hiester,  from  1820  to  1823, 
the  great  question  before  the  people  of  central  and  western  Pennsyl- 
vania was  the  construction  of  some  channel  of  communication  to  the 
West.  The  legislature  of  182 1  chartered  numerous  canal  and  turnpike 
companies  and  authorized  the  state  to  subscribe  for  stock  in  the  same, 
but  little  real  good  was  accomplished  by  such  companies.  On  March  27, 
1824,  the  legislature  passed  an  act  providing  for  the  appointment  of 
commissioners  to  promote  the  internal  improvement  of  the  state.  Three 
commissioners  were  instructed  to  explore  a  route  for  a  canal  from  Har- 
risburg  to  Pittsburgh,  via  the  Juniata  and  Conemaugh  rivers.  A  survey 
was  made  and,  after  several  laws  had  been  enacted  and  repealed,  the  act 
of  February  25,  1826,  authorized  the  board  of  commissioners  "to  locate 
and  contract  for  making  a  canal  and  locks,  and  other  works  necessary 
thereto,  from  the  river  Swatara,  at  or  near  Middletown,  to  or  near  a 
point  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  Susquehanna,  opposite  the  mouth  of 
the  river  Juniata,  and  from  Pittsburgh  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kiskimin- 
etas." 

This  arrangement  left  a  wide  gap  between  the  Susquehanna  and 
Allegheny  rivers  without  artificial  means  of  transportation  and  was  not 
satisfactory  to  the  people  of  the  Juniata  valley.  Consequently  the  act 
of  February  25,  1826,  was  repealed  and  that  of  April  11,  1825,  re- 
enacted.  This  act  provided  for  five  commissioners  who  were  authorized 
"to  examine  routes  from  Philadelphia  through  Chester  and  Lancaster 
counties,  then  by  the  West  Branch  of  the  Susquehanna  and  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Juniata  to  Pittsburgh." 

Under  the  provisions  of  this  the  "Pennsylvania  Canal"  was  con- 
structed. Ground  was  broken  at  Harrisburg  on  July  4,  1826.  An  office 
was  opened  at  Millerstown  and  James  Clarke  was  made  superintendent 
of  the  Juniata  division.  In  May,  1828,  Colonel  Clinton  was  engaged 
in  taking  levels  and  locating  the  canal  near  Huntingdon.  In  September 
of  that  year  the  canal  commissioners  met  at  Harrisburg,  heard  the  re- 
ports of  the  engineers,  selected  the  route,  and  directed  that  contracts  be 
made  for  the  construction  of  the  canal  from  Lewistown  to  Huntingdon, 


284  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

a  distance  of  forty-five  miles.  On  August  27,  1829,  the  first  boat  went 
up  the  canal  from  Harrisburg  and  on  September  22nd  the  water  was  let 
into  the  first  level  at  Lewistown.  The  first  packet-boat — the  Juniata — 
arrived  at  Lewistown  on  October  29,  1829,  having  on  board  a  number 
of  ladies  and  gentlemen  from  down  the  river.  The  boat  was  met  at  the 
Narrows  by  a  large  number  of  people  from  Lewistown,  accompanied 
by  a  band,  who  got  aboard  and  returned  to  Lewistown,  where  a  dinner 
was  served.  The  next  year  the  canal  was  completed  to  Huntingdon, 
regular  packet  lines  for  both  freight  and  passengers  were  established  and 
the  canal  continued  in  successful  operation  for  twenty  years.  In  round 
numbers  the  cost  of  this  canal  was  88,325,000.  the  cost  of  the  Juniata 
division  being  $3,521,000.  John  A.  Shulze,  who  was  elected  governor  in 
1823,  opposed  the  loan  of  Si, 000, 000,  but  he  yielded  to  the  popular 
clamor  for  public  improvement  and  before  the  close  of  his  administra- 
tion in  1829  about  $6,000,000  had  been  borrowed. 

In  1 83 1  the  entire  line  of  public  works  from  Philadelphia  to  Pitts- 
burgh— 126  miles  of  railroad  and  about  290  miles  of  canal — had  been 
completed  and  several  branch  canals  constructed  at  a  cost  of  something 
like  $35,000,000.  The  Pennsylvania  Canal,  which  was  heralded  as  the 
greatest  public  improvement  of  its  day.  and  which  was  for  twenty  years 
the  chief  avenue  of  transportation  for  the  rich  Juniata  valley,  is  now 
only  a  memory.  It  served  its  purpose  well,  but  an  age  of  progress  de- 
manded something  better  and  it  gave  way  to  the  railroad. 

In  ^lay,  1827,  a  railroad  nine  miles  in  length  was  completed  and  put 
in  operation  between  [Nlauch  Chunk  and  the  coal  mines.  At  that  time 
this  was  the  longest  railroad  in  America  and  the  only  one  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, with  the  exception  of  a  short  wooden  track  railway  at  some  stone 
cjuarries  in  Delaware  county.  The  general  plan  of  internal  improvements 
inaugurated  during  the  administration  of  Governor  Shulze  was  to  make 
the  main  canals  constitute  the  great  arteries  of  a  transportation  system, 
with  Ijranches  to  all  parts  of  the  state.  Communication  by  water  was 
not  always  feasible  and  several  lines  of  railroad  were  proposed  to  run 
northward  and  southAvard  from  points  on  the  Pennsylvania  canal  to 
interior  cities. 

The  first  railroad  to  be  projected  within  the  territory  included  in 
this  history  was  the  Philipsburg  &  Juniata,  which  was  incorporated 
by  act  of  March  16,  1830,  to  run  "from  the  Pennsylvania  canal,  at  or 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY  285 

near  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Juniata,  below  Alexandria,  in  Hunting- 
don county,  thence  up  the  Little  Jnniata  and  Little  Bald  Eagle  creeks 
and  through  Emigh's  Gap.  to  the  coal  mines  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Philipsburg,  in  Centre  county."  A  survey  of  the  route  was  made  in 
1833,  but  the  road  was  never  built.  The  region  it  was  designed  to  bene- 
fit is  now  supplied  by  branches  of  the  great  Pennsylvania  railway  sys- 
tem. The  Huntingdon  &  Chambersburg  Railroad  Company  was  in- 
corporated on  June  16,  1836,  and  the  Huntingdon  &  HoUidaysburg  Rail- 
road Company  was  granted  a  charter  by  the  legislature  on  July  2,  1839, 
though  neither  of  the  lines  contemplated  were  ever  built. 

In  the  meantime  several  projects  for  the  construction  of  a  continuous 
line  of  railroad  from  the  Delaware  river  to  the  Ohio  were  put  forward, 
but  nothing  definite  was  accomplished  in  that  direction  until  April  13, 

1846,  when  Governor  Shunk  approved  an  act  incorporating  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  Company.  Some  years  before  that  the  legislature 
had  granted  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  Company  a  right  of  way 
through  Pennsylvania  from  Cumberland,  ^Maryland,  to  Pittsburgh,  but 
the  company  had  not  done  anything  toward  the  construction  of  a  road, 
and  in  the  act  incorporating  the  Pennsylvania  Company  was  a  provision 
that,  if  $3,000,000  stock  should  be  subscribed,  $1,000,000  paid  in  and 
fifteen  miles  of  road  at  each  terminus  put  under  contract  by  July  30, 

1847,  the  privilege  granted  to  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Company  should 
become  null  and  void.  This  provision  served  as  a  stimuUis  to  the  new 
company.  A  board  of  directors  was  elected  on  [March  30,  1847,  ^vhen 
Samuel  V.  JMerrick  was  chosen  president  of  the  company,  and  before 
the  rec|uired  time  eighteen  miles  were  under  contract  at  the  eastern  end 
and  fifteen  at  the  western.  On  August  2t,.  1849,  the  first  train  (a  lum- 
ber train)  arrived  at  Lewistown  and  a  week  later  a  large  party  of  rail- 
road men  and  prominent  citizens  came  up  to  that  town  from  Harrisburg. 
Regular  trains  began  running  on  the  first  of  September.  On  November 
3d  an  advertisement  appeared  in  the  Lewistown  Gazette  announcing  that 
"Freight  trains  now  run  twice  a  week  between  Lewistown  and  Philadel- 
phia, as  follows,  viz. :  Leaving  Lewistown  on  Wednesdays  and  Satur- 
days, and  Philadelphia  on  Mondays  and  Thursdays." 

In  Huntingdon  county  the  first  surveys  were  made  in  the  summer 
of  1847  ^"d  contracts  for  the  grading  and  masonry  were  let  in  the  spring 
of  1848.     The  first  train  arrived  at  Huntingdon  on  June  6,  1850.     The 


286  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

event  is  thus  described  by  Lytle :  "It  consisted  of  five  or  six  trucks 
drawn  by  the  locomotive  'Henry  Clay."  In  a  few  days  afterwards  it 
proceeded  westward,  the  road  being  in  running  order  to  the  AUegheny 
mountains.  The  excitement  with  which  it  was  greeted  probably  ex- 
ceeded that  on  the  arrival  of  the  first  canal  boat.  Its  approach  had  been 
heralded  throughout  the  country  for  miles  on  both  sides  of  the  railroad, 
and  as  it  was  a  trial  trip,  the  train  necessarily  running  slowly,  the  people 
had  time  to  reach  the  railroad  and  witness  the  novel  sight.  In  fact,  the 
engine  announced  itself  by  shrill  whistles  that  surprised  even  the  moun- 
tains through  which  they  echoed.  But  there  was  disappointment.  The 
idea  had  become  general  that  trains  never  ran  with  less  speed  than 
lightning,  and  to  see  that  one  coming  at  the  rate  of  three  or  four  miles 
per  hour  was  not  what  had  been  expected.  It  was  not  }-et  time  for  the 
express  or  the  limited  mail." 

On  June  7,  1850,  regular  trains  commenced  running  between  Hunt- 
ingdon and  Philadelphia.  An  extra  freight  train  had  been  added  in 
the  preceding  December  between  Lewistown  and  Philadelphia  and  the 
first  passenger  time  schedule  was  published  at  that  time.  In  April,  1850, 
two  daily  passenger  trains  were  announced  and  freight  trains  daily,  ex- 
cept Sunday. 

Late  in  the  year  1852  trains  ran  all  the  way  from  Philadelphia  to 
Pittsburgh  via  the  portage,  with  its  ten  inclined  planes,  and  on  February 
15,  1854,  the  road  was  finished.  Let  the  reader's  imagination  carry 
him  back  three  score  or  more  years,  to  a  time  when  the  Pennsylvania 
railroad  consisted  of  a  single  track :  with  freight  trains  running  three 
times  a  week  and  two  passenger  trains  a  day;  with  locomotives  of  the 
old  wood-burning  type,  having  huge  funnel-shaped  smokestacks,  and 
compare  that  road  with  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  of  the  present,  when 
monster  locomotives  haul  trains  of  from  fifty  to  eighty  loaded  cars  over 
the  great  four-track  system  every  few  minutes,  and  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  passenger  trains  daily  rush  with  the  speed  of  the  wind  across  the 
Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania.  Then  he  will  realize  that  progress  has 
been  made  in  the  transportation  facilities  of  the  country. 

On  January  11,  1847,  David  Blair,  then  representative  from  Hunt- 
ingdon county,  introduced  a  bill  entitled  "An  Act  to  incorporate  the 
Huntingdon  &  Broad  Top  Railroad  and  Coal  Company."  It  passed 
both  branches  of  the  legislature,  but  was  vetoed  by  Governor  Shunk,. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  2S7 

who  objected  to  the  provision  allowing  the  company  to  hold  5,000  acres 
of  land  and  also  that  it  did  not  make  the  stockholders  individually  liable 
for  the  debts  of  the  company.  At  the  session  of  1848  Alexander  King, 
of  Bedford  county,  presented  a  bill  in  the  state  senate  to  incorporate  a 
company  under  the  same  name  as  that  proposed  by  Mr.  Blair,  but  the 
house  struck  out  the  words  "and  coal"  and  the  bill  became  a  law.  Xo 
organization  was  effected  under  that  act  and,  on  May  6,  1852,  another 
was  passed  incorporating  the  Huntingdon  &  Broad  Top  Railroad  and 
Coal  Company.  Contracts  for  the  grading  of  the  road-bed  were  made 
in  July,  1853,  and  on  August  13,  1855,  trains  commenced  running  be- 
tween Huntingdon  and  Marklesburg.  Bedford  was  designated  as  the 
southern  terminus  of  the  road,  but  when  the  line  was  completed  to 
Mount  Dallas,  eight  miles  from  Bedford,  the  company  became  financially 
embarrassed,  work  was  suspended,  and  the  remaining  eight  miles  were 
not  finished  until  the  building  of  the  Bedford  &  Bridgeport  railroad  some 
years  later.  It  was  by  means  of  this  road  that  the  supply  of  coal  in  the 
Broad  Top  field  was  brought  in  touch  with  the  market.  The  road  is 
now  operated  in  connection  with  the  Pennsylvania. 

As  early  as  1848  a  movement  was  started  for  the  building  of  a  rail- 
road from  IMount  L'nion  to  the  Broad  Top  coal  district,  and  on  February 
28th  of  that  year  a  meeting  was  held  at  Scottsville,  at  which  a  committee 
of  sixteen  citizens  was  appointed  to  present  the  matter  to  the  legislature. 
This  committee  performed  its  work  so  well  that  on  March  28,  184S,  an 
act  was  passed  incorporating  the  Drake's  Ferry  &  East  Broad  Top  Rail- 
road Company.  No  effort  was  made  to  build  a  road  under  the  charter 
thus  obtained  and,  on  April  16,  1856,  an  act  was  passed  under  which 
the  East  Broad  Top  Railroad  and  Coal  Company  was  organized.  For 
some  reason  work  was  not  commenced  until  the  fall  of  1872  and  the 
road  was  completed  to  Robertsdale  in  November,  1874.  Robertsdale 
remained  the  southern  terminus  of  the  road  for  some  time,  when  it  was 
extended  to  Woodvale.  near  the  Bedford  county  line.  This  road  has 
been  an  important  factor  in  the  development  of  the  coal  and  iron  deposits 
in  the  southern  part  of  Huntingdon  county. 

A  company  known  as  the  Lewisburg.  Centre  &  Spruce  Creek  Rail- 
road Company  was  incorporated  on  April  12,  1853.  Three  3-ears  later 
a  survey  was  made,  but  nothing  further  was  done  for  some  time.  In 
the  original  charter  Spruce  Creek  was  named  as  the  southern  terminus, 


288  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

where  the  road  would  connect  with  the  main  hne  of  the  Pennsylvania. 
By  a  supplementary  act  the  company  was  given  the  privilege  of  changing 
it  to  Tyrone.  The  latter  place  was  selected  and  grading  through  Hunt- 
ingdon county  was  done  in  1873.  ^Vork  was  then  suspended  for  want 
of  funds,  owing  to  the  panic  of  that  year,  and  in  1880  the  name  was 
changed  to  Lewisburg  &  Tyrone  railroad.  A  section  of  the  road  from 
Tyrone  to  Pennsylvania  Furnace  was  finished  in  the  fall  of  that  year  and 
the  entire  line  was  opened  about  five  years  later.  It  is  now  operated  by 
the  Pennsylvania  Company. 

The  ^lifflin  &  Centre  County  Railroad  Company  was  incorporated 
on  April  2,  1S60,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $250,000  and  authority  to  build 
a  railroad  from  Lewistown  to  Alilesburg.  or  some  point  near  the  latter 
place.  The  following  ■March  the  Pennsylvania  Company  was  given  the 
power  to  assist  railroads  auxiliary  to  its  own  and  through  this  means 
funds  were  obtained  for  the  construction  of  the  road.  In  1864  it  was 
completed  to  Milroy,  twelve  miles  north  of  Lewistown,  where  it  ter- 
minates.    It  is  now  a  part  of  the  Pennsylvania  system. 

What  is  now  the  Sunbury  division  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  had 
its  origin  in  a  company  called  the  Middle  Creek  Railroad  Company, 
which  was  incorporated  on  J^Iarch  23,  1865,  with  the  right  to  build  a 
railroad  from  some  point  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  at  or  near  Lewis- 
town,  to  the  Susquehanna  river  at  or  between  Port  Treverton  and  North- 
umberland. The  road  was  in  operation  in  1868.  It  runs  northeast  from 
Lewistown,  up  the  Jack's  creek  valley,  and  connects  with  the  Erie  divi- 
sion of  the  Pennsylvania  at  Selingsgrove  Junction,  in  Northumberland 
county.  By  an  act  of  the  legislature,  approved  February  17,  1870,  the 
name  was  changed  to  the  Sunbury  &  Lewistown  Railroad  Company, 
under  which  it  continued  until  taken  over  by  the  Pennsylvania. 

Several  companies  have  formed  and  incorporated  at  various  times 
for  the  construction  of  short  lines  of  railroad,  but  most  of  them  ended 
in  failure.  The  Duncannon,  Bloomfield  &  Broad  Top  Railroad  Company 
was  incorporated  in  April,  1866,  with  an  authorized  capital  of  $1,000,000, 
for  the  purpose  of  constructing  a  road  from  some  point  on  the  Pennsyl- 
vania, near  Duncannon,  to  the  Broad  Top  mountain,  in  Bedford  county 
passing  through  New  Bloomfield,  the  county  seat  of  Perry  county. 
A  supplementary  act  reduced  the  capital  stock  to  $750,000,  only  about 
one-tenth  of  which  was  subscribed  and  the  project  was  abandoned. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY  289 

On  April  3,  187J,  the  Duncannon,  Bloomfield  &  Loysville  Railroad 
Company  received  a  charter  to  build  a  line  of  railway  between  the  points 
named.  The  capital  stock  was  fixed  at  2,000  shares  of  fifty  dollars 
each.  A  survey  was  made  some  years  later  and  about  1887  a  new 
company  was  formed  to  which  the  charter  rights  were  transferred.  Some 
grading  was  done  that  year,  but  the  floods  wrought  so  much  damage  that 
work  was  suspended  for  about  two  years,  when  it  was  resumed  and  the 
road  completed  about  1892.  It  is  now  known  as  the  Susquehanna  River 
&  Western.  At  Duncannon  it  connects  with  the  Pennsylvania  railroad 
and  the  western  terminus  is  about  two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Xev/ 
Bloomfield,  where  it  connects  with  the  Newport  &  Sherman's  Valley 
railroad. 

By  an  act  of  the  legislature,  approved  April  10,  1873,  a  charter  was 
granted  to  a  company  of  Perry  county  citizens  to  build  a  narrow  gauge 
railroad  from  Newport  up  the  Sherman's  valley.  The  authorized  capital 
stock  was  $25,000,  but  the  company  was  given  the  privilege  of  borrow- 
ing money  with  which  to  construct  the  road,  issuing  bonds  therefor. 
Several  years  elapsed  before  the  road  was  constructed  and  it  was  not 
until  about  1892  that  trains  were  running  regularly  between  Newport  and 
New  Germantown,  which  is  the  western  terminus. 

The  Tuscarora  Valley  Railroad  Company  was  incorporated  by  act 
of  the  general  assembly  on  March  5,  1872,  with  a  capital  stock  of  400,- 
000  shares  of  fifty  dollars  each.  Under  the  charter  the  company  was 
authorized  to  construct  a  line  of  railway  from  any  point  on  the  Penn- 
sylvania railroad  in  Juniata  county  through  the  Tuscarora  valley  to  the 
line  of  either  Huntingdon  or  Franklin  county,  with  lateral  branches,  etc. 
After  numerous  delays  and  drawbacks  the  road  was  completed  about 
1891,  from  Port  Royal,  up  the  Tuscarora  creek,  to  Blair's  Mills,  in 
Huntingdon  county. 

Another  short  line  of  railroad  built  by  local  capital  is  the  Kishaco- 
quillas  Valley  railroad,  which  connects  with  the  Pennsylvania  railroad 
and  extends  southward  up  the  Kishacoquillas  valley  to  Belleville,  a  dis- 
tance of  ten  miles.  Right  of  way  for  this  line  was  obtained  in  1892-93 
and  the  road  was  completed  a  few  years  later.  Compared  with  some 
of  the  great  trunk  lines,  these  local  roads  would  be  considered  insignifi- 
cant, but  each  one  of  them  has  been  of  great  importance  to  the  farmers 
in  the  fertile  valley  through  which  they  pass  by  giving  them  an  outlet  to 


290  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

markets  for  the  products  of  their  farms.  The  stockholders  in  these  small 
companies  have  not  been  actuated  so  much  by  the  hope  of  dividends  as 
by  the  desire  to  aid  in  developing  the  resources  of  the  Juniata  valley. 

A  few  years  ago  agitation  in  favor  of  good  roads  was  commenced 
in  nearly  every  state  of  the  Union.  Pennsylvania,  not  to  be  behind  her 
sister  commonwealths,  established  a  state  highway  department  by  the 
act  of  JNIay  31,  191 1.  At  the  head  of  this  department  is  an  official  known 
as  the  highway  commissioner,  with  two  assistants,  and  a  competent  corps 
of  engineers  to  direct  the  construction  of  modern  roads.  The  act  pro- 
vides that  all  roads  taken  over  from  the  county  authorities  shall  be  known 
as  "state  roads"  and  designates  about  300  lines  of  highway  in  the  state 
to  be  thus  placed  under  the  control  of  the  state  highway  department.  A 
number  of  these  roads  are  in  the  region  embraced  in  this  work,  the  most 
important  being  as  follows  : 

No.  28,  Middleburg  to  Lewistown;  No.  29,  Lewistown  to  Belle- 
fonte;  No.  30,  Harrisburg  to  New  Bloomfield;  No.  31,  New  Bloomfield 
to  ^lifflintown;  No.  32,  Mifflintown  to  Lewistown;  No.  33,  Lewistown 
to  Huntingdon;  No.  45,  Chambersburg  to  ]\Iifflintown;  No.  46,  Bedford 
to  Huntingdon;  No.  55,  Huntingdon  to  Hollidaysburg ;  No.  56,  Hunt- 
ingdon to  Bellefonte;  No.  57,  Huntingdon  to  Clearfield;  No.  121,  Hunt- 
ingdon to  Chambersburg;  No.  192,  McConnellsburg  to  Lewistown;  No. 
193,  McConnellsburg  to  ]Mifflintown ;  No.  194,  Mifflintown  to  Sunljury. 

No.  32,  between  Lewistown  and  MifHintown,  is  nearly  completed 
at  this  writing  (May,  1913)  and  several  other  roads  in  the  Juniata 
district  are  under  construction.  All  are  being  built  according  to  the  most 
approved  methods,  and  a  few  years  more  will  find  Pennsjdvania  well 
provided  with  an  excellent  system  of  highways.  The  cost  of  this  class 
of  roads  is  considerable,  but  a  well-built  road  will  last  for  years  and  the 
money  expended  in  its  construction  will  be  found  to  be  a  good  invest- 
ment. Less  than  two  centuries  ago  the  weary  traveler  through  this 
valley  led  his  pack  horse  by  devious  windings  through  the  primeval  for- 
est. His  pack  could  contain  only  a  few  hundred  pounds  of  the  actual 
necessities  for  use  or  consumption  on  his  journey.  After  the  pack-horse 
came  the  Conestoga  wagon,  drawn  by  six  or  eight  horses  and  carrying 
perhaps  two  tons  of  freight.  The  canal  came,  flourished  for  a  brief 
period,  and  passed  into  history,  superseded  by  the  railroad.  Over  one 
of  the  modern  state  roads  the  farmer  can  haul  as  much  produce  with 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA   VALLEY  29 z 

two  horses  as  the  old  Conestoga  wagon  carried  when  drawn  by  six,  and 
the  improved  railway  with  its  present-day  equipment  can  rush  that  pro- 
duce to  market  so  that  the  farmer  will  not  have  to  wait  for  days  or 
perhaps  weeks  for  his  returns  as  in  the  days  of  the  canal  boat.  Verily, 
this  is  an  age  of  progress. 


CHAPTER    XV 

FINANCE   AND    INDUSTRIES 

Public  Finances — Bonded  Indebtedness  of  the  Counties — Banks — Trust  Companies — 
General  Condition  of  Financial  Institutions — The  Iron  Industry' — Early  Furnaces 
and  Forges — Duncannon  Iron  Works — Logan  Iron  and  Steel  Company — Standard 
Steel  Works — Mann's  Axe  Factory — Shoe  Factory — Car  Works — J.  C.  Blair  Com- 
panj' — Silk  Mills — Glass  Sand — Coal  Mining — Water  Power  and  Electricity — Agri- 
cultural Societies  and  Fairs — Farmers'  Institutes. 

WITH  few  exceptions,  it  has  been  the  good  fortune  of  each  of 
the  four  counties  embraced  in  this  work  to  have  its  pubhc 
funds  handled  by  men  who  have  been  both  honest  and  capable. 
A  few  petty  defalcations  or  irregularities  have  occurred  at  times,  but 
none  of  these  has  been  of  sufficient  importance  seriously  to  interfere 
with  the  administration  of  civil  affairs  or  retard  the  progress  of  public 
and  private  enterprise.  The  result  is  that  the  public  credit  has  remained 
unimpaired  and  the  finances  of  each  county  are  in  wholesome  condition, 
as  the  subjoined  figures,  taken  from  the  county  auditor's  reports  for 
19 12,  will  show. 

In  Huntingdon  county  the  amount  of  outstanding  bonds  at  the  close 
of  the  year  1912  was  875,000,  to  which  should  be  added  the  unpaid 
orders,  amounting  to  $1,375-95,  making  a  total  indebtedness  of  S76,- 
375.95.  To  offset  this,  the  income  for  the  year,  including  the  balance 
in  the  hands  of  the  treasurer  at  the  close  of  191 1,  was  $124,724.30  and 
the  disbursements  were  8112,385.78,  leaving  a  balance  in  the  treasury 
of  $12,338.52.  At  the  same  time  there  were  outstanding  balances  in  the 
hands  of  collectors  aggregating  815,725.63.  Deducting  these  balance^ 
from  the  total  debt  shows  the  net  indebtedness  of  the  county  to  ^e 
$48,311.80.  In  addition  to  the  cash  balance  and  outstanding  ta>es 
should  be  added  as  assets  the  value  of  public  property — the  court-hou'-e, 
jail,  etc. — which  is  over  $100,000,  giving  the  county  practically  thiee 
dollars  in  assets  for  every  dollar  of  liabilities. 

292 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  293 

Mifflin  county  shows  even  better  financial  condition.  At  the  close 
of  the  year  1912  the  bonds  outstanding  amounted  to  $55,000,  unpaid 
orders,  $1,517.71;  due  county  officers,  $247.20,  a  total  indebtedness  of 
$56,764.91.  On  the  other  hand,  there  was  a  cash  balance  of  $28,590.01 
in  the  treasury  and  outstanding  taxes  amounting  to  $27,510.68,  which, 
if  applied  to  the  payment  of  the  debt,  would  leave  only  $664.22  of  actual 
indebtedness.  The  real  estate  owned  by  tlie  county  was  estimated  by 
the  auditors  to  be  worth  $77,000. 

Juniata  county  reported  a  bonded  debt  of  $32,881.80  and  outstanding 
orders  of  only  $10.60.  At  the  close  of  the  year  1912  there  was  a  cash 
balance  in  the  treasury  of  $10,782.30  and  outstanding  revenues  in  the 
hands  of  collectors  aggregating  $6,468.05,  leaving  a  net  debt  of  $15,- 
642.10,  with  an  annual  income  of  $60,000  in  round  figures  and  property 
worth  at  least  $40,000. 

Perry  county's  income  for  the  year  1912  was.  in  round  numbers, 
$132,000,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year  her  outstanding  bonds  amounted 
to  $37,625.  With  an  inconsequential  floating  debt  and  moderate  ex- 
penditures, with  public  property  worth  approximately  $100,000,  it  may 
be  seen  that  the  county's  financial  standing  is  of  the  best.  In  fact,  the 
bonds  of  all  these  counties  have  always  found  ready  sale  in  the  market 
and  have  been  regarded  as  among  the  "gilt-edged"  securities  of  the 
commonwealth. 

On  April  16,  1813.  fifteen  men  of  Huntingdon,  headed  by  John 
Canan,  William  Orbison,  and  John  Henderson,  organized  a  partnership 
and  on  November  16,  1813,  opened  the  Huntingdon  Bank,  with  \\'illiam 
Orbison  as  president.  This  was  the  first  bank  in  the  Juniata  valley. 
It  continued  in  business  for  nearly  twenty  years,  when  its  affairs  were 
wound  up  and  Huntingdon  was  then  without  a  bank  for  nearly  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century.  Under  the  act  of  March  21,  1814,  the  Huntingdon 
Bank  was  made  a  bank  of  issue,  and  during  the  days  of  state  bank  cur- 
rencv,  when  so  much  of  the  currency  in  circulation  was  at  a  discount,  its 
notes  were  always  worth  one  hundred  cents  on  the  dollar. 

The  Juniata  Bank  of  Pennsylvania  was  opened  at  Lewistown  in 
181 5,  with  \A'illiam  Armstrong  as  cashier.  It  continued  in  business  until 
I  S3  5,  when  it  failed,  and  in  1841  David  Candor  was  appointed  seques- 
trator of  its  assets,  with  instructions  to  wind  up  its  business  with  the  best 
possible  advantage  to  all  concerned. 


294  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

A  charter  was  granted  to  the  Bank  of  Lewistown  by  the  act  of  April 
14,  1S35,  with  an  authorized  capital  of  $200,000.  Joseph  ]\Iilliken  was 
made  president  and  John  Forster,  cashier.  A  building  was  erected  in 
1S36  and  in  December,  1837,  the  bank  suspended  payment  and  was 
never  revived. 

A  branch  of  the  Bank  of  Lancaster  was  established  in  Lewistown 
in  August,  1849,  under  the  charge  of  William  Russell.  The  bank  was 
opened  in  the  building  which  had  been  built  a  few  years  before  for  the 
Bank  of  Lewistown,  and,  in  November,  'Mr.  Russell,  by  authority  of 
the  state,  burned  the  remaining  bills  of  the  Bank  of  Lewistown.  Early 
in  185 1  the  Bank  of  Lancaster  failed  and  Mr.  Russell  then  engaged  in 
the  banking  business  on  his  own  account.  The  bank  he  establishetl  is 
still  in  existence  as  a  private  banking  institution  and  is  the  oldest  bank 
in  the  valley. 

On  July  7,  1854,  Bell,  Garretson  &  Company  opened  the  second 
bank  in  Huntingdon  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Fourth  and  Penn  streets. 
On  July  22,  1863,  't  became  the  First  National  Bank  of  Huntingdon, 
with  James  ]\L  Bell  as  president  and  George  W.  Garretson  as  cashier. 
The  capital  stock  of  this  bank  is  $100,000.  In  1910  it  reported  a  surplus 
of  nearly  $140,000  and  deposits  of  over  $1,000,000.  It  is  located  at 
505  Penn  street,  and  among  its  directors  are  some  of  the  best  known 
business  men  of  Huntingdon. 

^^'ilat  is  now  the  Mifflin  County  National  Bank  had  its  beginning 
on  ^March  26,  i860,  when  the  legislature  passed  an  act  giving  it  a  char- 
ter and  authorizing  a  capital  of  $100,000.  The  organization  of  the  bank 
was  not  fully  completed  until  September  17,  1861,  when  E.  L.  Benedict 
was  chosen  president  and  a  few  days  later  Robert  H.  \\'ilson  was  elected 
cashier.  On  September  22,  1S65,  it  received  a  charter  and  was  reorgan- 
ized as  the  Alifflin  County  National  Bank,  under  which  name  it  still 
continues  to  do  business  at  the  corner  of  ^Market  and  Brown  streets. 
Its  capital  stock  is  $100,0000,  surplus  nearly  as  much,  and  deposits  of 
over  half  a  million. 

The  first  bank  in  ]\Iifflintown  was  a  private  concern  which  was  estab- 
lished by  Doty,  Parker  &  Company  in  August,  1864.  In  1879  E.  S. 
Doty  retired  from  the  firm  and  the  business  was  conducted  by  Parker  & 
Company  for  several  years,  when  the  affairs  of  the  bank  were  liquidated. 

In  1S67  the  Juniata  A'alley  Bank  was  opened  in  Mifflintown  with 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  295 

twenty  stockholders  and  a  cash  capital  of  $41,000.  Joseph  Pomeroy 
was  the  first  president  and  F.  S.  Jacobs  the  first  cashier.  It  continued 
as  a  private  bank  for  about  twenty  years,  when  it  was  merged  into  the 
Juniata  Valley  National,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $60,000  and  deposits  of 
over  $500,000.  The  First  National  of  Mifflintown  was  organized  in 
1865  with  a  capital  of  $50,000.  It  now  has  a  surplus  of  $40,000  or  more 
and  deposits  of  over  $500,000. 

The  Perry  County  Bank  was  established  by  Sponsler,  Junkin  &  Com- 
pany in  1866  and  opened  for  business  on  September  20th  in  the  office 
of  the  Perry  County  jNIutual  Fire  Insurance  Company.  In  the  spring 
of  1868  it  removed  into  a  building  of  its  own,  where  it  continued  in 
business  for  a  number  of  years.  The  writer  has  been  unable  to  learn 
what  became  of  this  bank,  but  the  only  bank  in  New  Bloomfield  in  19 13 
was  the  First  National,  which  was  organized  in  1898,  with  a  capital 
of  $50,000.  In  19 10  its  surplus  was  about  $40,000  and  its  deposits 
approximately  $300,000. 

Other  banks  organized  in  1866  were  the  L'^nion  National,  of  Hunt- 
ingdon, and  the  Newport  Deposit  Bank.  The  former  was  originally  the 
private  banking  house  of  John  Bare  &  Company, -but  was  converted  into 
a  national  bank  on  July  20,  1869.  Its  capital  stock  is  $50,000;  surplus, 
$65,000;  and  deposits  nearly  $500,000. 

In  1867  the  Juniata  A'alley  Bank,  of  ^lifflintown,  established  a  branch 
at  Port  Royal,  with  Samuel  Buck  as  cashier.  A  branch  of  the  same 
institution  was  opened  at  Newport  in  September,  1873.  These  branches 
were  discontinued  with  the  parent  bank,  and  the  Newport  Deposit  Bank 
has  also  passed  out  of  existence.  The  only  banks  in  these  two  boroughs 
in  1913  were  the  Port  Royal  Bank  and  the  Citizens'  National,  of  New- 
port. The  former  was  organized  in  1894  with  a  capital  of  $50,000 
and  now  has  deposits  of  about  $250,000.  The  Citizens'  National  was 
organized  in  1905  and  has  a  capital  stock  of  $50,000,  with  deposits  of 
about  $200,000. 

The  Central  Banking  Company  of  JNIount  Union  was  organized  in 
1878  and  continued  as  a  private  banking  house  until  about  191 1,  when 
it  was  changed  to  a  national  bank.  The  First  National,  of  Mount  Union, 
was  established  in  1902  with  a  capital  of  $25,000,  and  has  deposits  of 
about  $200,000. 

E.  L.  Benedict  retired  from  the  presidency  of  the  Mifilin  County 


296  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

National  on  January  10,  1871,  and  soon  afterward  opened  a  private 
bank  which  he  conducted  until  his  death  in  1879,  when  the  business  was 
closed  up  by  his  executors.  Ten  years  later,  November  15.  1881,  the 
Huntingdon  Bank,  also  a  private  institution,  was  opened  and  is  still 
doing-  business. 

Six  banks  were  established  in  the  valley  counties  during  the  decade 
beginning  with  the  year  1890.  In  that  year  the  Duncannon  National 
opened  for  business  with  a  capital  stock  of  $65,000.  Ten  years  later 
it  reported  a  surplus  of  $77,000  and  deposits  of  $200,000.  The  Reeds- 
ville  National  was  established  in  1891,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000.  In 
19 10  its  surplus  was  $50,000  and  its  deposits  about  $180,000.  The 
Orbisonia  Bank,  a  private  institution,  was  opened  in  1892;  the  Port 
Royal  Bank,  above  mentioned,  in  1894:  the  Tuscarora  Bank,  of  Blair's 
Mills,  in  1898;  and  the  First  National  of  New  Bloomfield,  already 
noted. 

With  the  general  prosperity  and  industrial  activity  that  prevailed 
throughout  the  country  during  the  closing  years  of  the  last  and  the 
opening  years  of  the  present  century,  there  came  a  demand  for  increased 
banking  facilities,  as  well  as  the  opportunity  to  conduct  the  business 
upon  a  sound  basis  with  every  prospect  of  success.  These  conditions 
led  to  the  establishment  of  new  banks  everywhere.  In  the  valley  coun- 
ties, during  the  decade  beginning  with  the  year  1900,  nineteen  banks 
and  two  trust  companies  were  opened. 

In  1900  three  banks  were  established  in  ]\Iifflin  county,  -s'iz. :  the  Citi- 
zens' National,  of  Lewistown,  the  Belleville  National,  and  the  Belleville 
Deposit  Bank.  The  last  named  has  since  been  converted  into  a  national 
bank.  The  capital  stock  of  the  Citizens'  National  is  $50,000,  its  sur- 
plus about  $25,000,  and  its  deposits  over  a  quarter  of  a  million.  The 
Belleville  National  was  incorporated  with  a  capital  of  $25,000,  has 
accumulated  a  surplus  of  $35,000,  and  has  deposits  approximating  $200,- 
000.  The  capital  of  the  Belleville  Deposit  Bank  is  $50,000,  but  no  fig- 
ures regarding  its  surplus  and  deposits  could  be  obtained  at  the  time  this 
volume  went  to  press. 

Two  banks  were  organized  in  Huntingdon  county  in  1902 — the  First 
National  of  Mount  Union,  already  described,  and  the  Standing  Stone 
National  of  Huntingdon.  The  latter  in  1910  reported  a  capital  stock 
of  $50,000,  a  surplus  of  $25,000,  and  deposits  of  $300,000,     It  is  lo- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  297 

cated  at  412  Penn  street  and  numbers  among  its  stockholders  some  of 
Huntingdon's  most  substantial  citizens. 

In  1903  the  First  National  Bank  of  Marysville  and  the  Bank  of 
Landisburg  opened  their  doors  for  the  transaction  of  business.  The 
former  has  a  capital  of  $25,000  and  carries  deposits  of  about  $100,000. 
The  latter  is  a  private  institution  with  a  capital  of  $25,000  and  deposits 
of  nearly  $300,000.  A  branch  of  this  bank  was  established  at  Blain 
in  1904  and  is  known  as  the  Bank  of  Blain. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Millerstown  was  opened  in  1904  with 
a  capital  stock  of  $25,000.  Six  years  later  it  reported  a  surplus  of 
$6,000  and  deposits  of  $125,000.  The  Farmers'  Bank  of  Millerstown 
was  opened  in  December,  1878,  with  Perry  Kreamer  as  president  and 
William  S.  Rickapaugh  as  cashier,  but  after  running  for  six  years  closed 
on  December  21,  1878. 

Newport,  Petersburg,  and  Thompsontown  were  the  locations  of  the 
three  new  banks  opened  in  1905.  The  First  National  of  Newport  has 
been  previously  mentioned.  The  Petersljurg  and  Thompsontown  banks 
are  both  private  institutions,  the  former,  known  as  the  Shaver's  Creek 
Bank,  having  a  capital  of  $25,000,  and  the  latter,  called  the  Farmers' 
Bank,  a  capital  of  $10,000. 

Only  one  bank  was  organized  in  the  year  1906 — the  First  National 
Bank  of  Liverpool,  Perry  county.  It  has  a  capital  stock  of  $25,000, 
and  in  1910  reported  a  surplus  of  $8,000,  with  deposits  of  about  $40,000. 

The  year  1907  witnessed  the  establishment  of  four  new  Isanks  and 
two  trust  companies,  viz. :  The  People's  National  of  Duncannon,  the 
Milroy  Banking  Company,  the  jNIcVeytown  National,  the  Richfield  Bank, 
the  Lewistown  Trust  Company,  and  the  Grange  Trust  Company  of 
Huntingdon.  The  People's  National  of  Duncannon  began  business  with 
a  capital  stock  of  $25,000  and  in  1910  reported  deposits  of  over  $100,- 
000.  The  ^lilroy  Banking  Company  is  a  private  institution,  of  which 
no  detailed  information  is  available.  The  McVeytown  National  is  the 
outgrowth  of  Moore,  Mc\\'illiams  &  Company's  Iiank,  which  was  opened 
in  the  spring  of  1872.  It  was  made  a  national  bank  in  1907,  with  a 
capital  of  $25,000  and  three  years  later  had  over  $200,000  on  deposit. 
The  capital  stock  of  the  Richfield  Bank  is  $10,000  and  its  deposits  in 
19 10  amounted  to  about  $65,000. 

The  Lewistown  Trust  Company  and  the   Grange  Trust    Company 


298  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

were  organized  under  the  laws  of  Pennsylvania,  with  power  to  conduct 
a  banking  business.  The  formed  has  a  capital  stock  of  $125,000  and 
in  1910  carried  deposits  of  about  $150,000.  It  occupies  a  handsome  new 
building  at  the  corner  of  Market  and  Brown  streets.  The  Grange  Trust 
Company,  located  at  425  Penn  street,  Huntingdon,  has  a  capital  of 
$125,000  and  three  years  after  its  organization  had  deposits  of  about 
$175,000. 

In  190S  the  First  National  Bank  of  Orbisonia  was  organized  with  a 
capital  of  $25,000  and  its  deposits  in  1910  reached  $120,000.  The 
Farmers"  National  Bank  of  ]McAlisterviIle  was  organized  in  1909. 

According  to  a  late  bankers"  directory  there  are  thirty-five  banking 
institutions  in  Huntingdon,  ]\Iifflin,  Juniata  .and  Perry  counties,  with 
a  combined  capital  of  $1,500,000,  in  round  numbers,  and  deposits  of 
approximately  $8,000,000.  Compared  with  some  of  the  great  banks 
in  the  large  cities,  these  figures  may  seem  small,  but  the  local  banks  well 
serve  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  organized  and  carry  sufficient 
capital  to  transact  the  business  that  comes  within  their  respective  fields. 
As  a  rule,  their  management  is  along  conservative  lines  and  they  com- 
mand the  confidence  of  their  patrons. 

For  about  forty  years  after  the  settlement  of  the  Juniata  valley 
was  begun,  agriculture  was  the  chief  occupation  of  the  people,  and  it 
is  still  the  leading  industry.  Next  to  it  came  the  mining,  smelting,  and 
manufacture  of  iron.  About  1784  Cromwell,  Ashman  &  Ridgley  erected 
the  first  furnace  west  of  the  Susquehanna  river.  It  stood  within  the 
present  borough  of  Orbisonia  and  was  known  as  the  Bedford  furnace, 
after  the  name  of  the  county  in  which  it  was  then  located.  It  used 
charcoal  and  had  a  capacity  of  about  thirteen  tons  per  Aveek,  fossil  ores, 
from  which  the  metal  was  easily  extracted,  being  the  only  variety 
smelted.  The  proprietors  owned  several  thousand  acres  of  ore-bearing 
land  and  transacted  their  business  under  the  name  of  the  Bedford 
Company. 

The  reduction  of  ore  into  pig  iron  created  a  demand  for  some  means 
of  converting  the  pig  metal  into  wrought  iron.  To  meet  this  demand 
Bartholomew  &  Dorsey,  in  1794,  built  the  Baree  forge  on  the  Little 
Juniata,  nine  miles  west  of  Huntingdon,  where  they  purchased  a  large 
tract  of  land.    Subsequently  a  furnace  was  erected  near  the  forge. 

About   1795   Anshutz  &  Gloninger  built  the   Huntingdon   furnace, 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  299 

about  three  miles  from  the  mouth  of  Spruce  creek.  Their  business 
proved  to  be  profitable  and  the  same  firm  built  several  forges  along 
Spruce  creek,  as  well  as  iron  works  elsewhere  in  the  Juniata  valley. 
They  were  succeeded  by  G.  &  J.  H.  Shoenberger,  who  carried  on  the 
business  for  many  years. 

Next  in  order  of  date  was  the  furnace  long  known  as  the  "Old  Rock- 
hill  Furnace,"  which  was  erected  in  183 1  by  Diven  &  Morrison.  Mr. 
Diven's  death  occurred  soon  afterward  and  he  was  succeeded  by  Thomas 
T.  Cromwell.  Some  years  later  the  firm  was  succeeded  by  Ford  &  Bell, 
who  continued  to  operate  the  furnace  for  about  ten  years. 

Two  years  later  the  Greenwood  and  Winchester  furnaces  were  blown 
in.  The  former,  situated  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county,  was 
built  by  Patton  &  Norris.  A  new  stack  was  built  in  i860,  doubling 
the  capacity,  and  some  years  later  the  plant  passed  into  the  possession 
of  the  Logan  Iron  and  Steel  Company.  The  Winchester  furnace  was 
built  by  Bracken  &  Stitt  and  occupied  the  old  site  of  the  carding  and 
fulling  mill  a  short  distance  below  the  Rockhill  furnace.  It  changed 
ownership  several  times  and  was  finally  absorbed  by  the  Rockhill  Iron 
and  Coal  Company. 

Harris'  Pittsburgh  Directory  for  the  year  1837  gives  a  list  of  six- 
teen furnaces,  twenty-four  forges,  and  one  rolling  mill  in  the  Juniata 
iron  district.  Of  these,  fifteen  of  the  furnaces,  eighteen  of  the  forges, 
and  the  rolling  mill  (Hatfield's)  were  in  Huntingdon  county.  The 
largest  producer  of  iron  at  the  present  time  is  the  Rockhill  Iron  and 
Coal  Company,  which  was  chartered  by  the  legislature  of  1872  with  a 
capital  of  $2,000,000  and  the  power  to  own  land  in  Huntingdon  and 
several  adjoining  counties.  Three  years  later  the  company  owned  nearly 
20,000  acres  in  Huntingdon  county  and  its  immense  plant  at  Orbisonia, 
costing  about  $125,000,  was  in  full  operation,  and  carrying  on  an  exten- 
sive business. 

In  ]\Iifflin  county.  Freedom  forge  was  built  in  1795  by  \\'illiam 
Brown,  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Logan  Iron  and  Steel  Works 
at  Burnham.  A  few  years  later  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Miller, 
JNIartin  &  Company,  which  erected  a  furnace  in  connection,  but  after 
about  a  year  this  firm  dissolved  and  the  property  passed  to  John  Brown 
&  Company.  A  new  furnace  was  built  in  1825,  increasing  the  weekly 
■capacity  to  fifteen  tons,  and  in  1834  the  forge  was  rebuilt.    After  several 


300  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

changes  in  ownership  this  plant  became  the  propert)-  of  the  Logan  Iron 
and  Steel  Company  in  187 1. 

In  1797  \\"illiam  Lewis,  of  Berks  county,  and  Thomas  Holt  took  the 
preliminary  steps  for  the  establishment  of  a  furnace  in  what  is  now 
Granville  township,  Mififlin  county,  by  the  purchase  of  a  large  tract  of 
land  on  the  Juniata  river  and  Brightfield's  run.  There  is  some  discrep- 
ancy in  the  statements  as  to  when  the  Hope  furnace  was  actually  estab- 
lished, but  perhaps  the  best  authority  is  the  assessment  rolls  of  Derry 
township  for  1798,  wherein  General  Lewis  is  assessed  on  430  acres 
of  land  and  mentioned  as  an  "iron-master,"  which  would  indicate  that 
the  furnace  was  then  in  operation.  In  1830  the  plant  was  sold  to  David 
W.  Hulings,  who  operated  it  until  1846.  It  was  then  in  the  hands  of 
various  lessees  until  i860,  when  it  was  abandoned. 

^Marion  furnace,  located  in  upper  !Milroy,  was  built  in  1828  by  Reed, 
Thompson  and  ililliken  and  began  business  with  a  capacity  of  about 
thirty  tons  weekly.  L'nder  different  owners  and  lessees  it  was  conducted 
until  1838. 

Charles  Brooks  &  Company  established  the  Brookland  furnace  in 
Oliver  township  in  1835.  Ore  was  hauled  by  six-horse  teams  from  the 
Big  valley.  In  1840  the  furnace  was  leased  to  [Michael  Crisswell  & 
Company,  who,  three  years  later,  built  the  Ellen  forge  a  little  below  the 
site  of  the  old  Samuel  Holliday  mill.  After  a  year  or  two  both  furnace 
and  forge  were  leased  to  R.  Allen  &  Company,  which  suspended  in  the 
winter  of  1848-49.  On  April  5,  1849.  the  plant  was  sold  to  H.  X. 
Burroughs,  of  Philadelphia,  who  leased  it  to  Huntington,  Robinson  & 
Company,  and  this  firm  established  a  rolling  mill  in  1856.  The  expense 
of  hauling  ore  was  so  great  that  the  works  could  not  be  operated  with 
profit  and  in  1861  the  Brookland  furnace,  with  its  kindred  industries, 
went  out  of  existence. 

The  [Matilda  furnace,  situated  on  the  Juniata  river,  opposite  [Mount 
L'nion,  was  built  in  1837  by  Cottrell.  Caldwell  &  Drake.  Isaac  Rogers 
also  had  an  interest  in  the  enterprise.  These  men  operated  the  furnace 
until  about  1851.  when  it  was  sold  to  John  and  Peter  Haldeman.  L'p 
to  that  time  the  furnace  used  charcoal  and  the  power  was  derived  from 
a  little  mountain  stream.  The  Haldemans  installed  a  steam  engine  to 
do  away  with  the  overshot  wheel  and  began  the  use  of  anthracite  in- 
stead of  charcoal.     After  about  two  years  they  gave  up  the  enterprise 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  301 

and  the  works  lay  idle  for  several  years,  when  it  was  bought  by  Wash- 
ington Righter.  From  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  to  its  final  abandon- 
ment in  1884  it  was  operated  by  at  least  three  different  parties. 

In  1S42  Long  Brothers  established  the  Logan  Foundry  at  Lewis- 
town  and  in  1846  built  the  Duncan  furnace.  By  1853  they  had  disposed 
of  both  foundry  and  furnace  and  ten  years  later  the  foundry  became 
the  property  of  D.  Bearly  &  Sons  and  the  furnace  passed  to  the  Gla- 
morgan Iron  Company,  which  was  organized  in  1863.  The  Duncan 
furnace  had  a  weekly  capacity  of  120  tons.  It  was  operated  by  the 
Glamorgan  Company  for  about  a  quarter  of  a  century,  when  both  fur- 
nace and  company  went  out  of  business. 

In  Perry  county  the  oldest  furnace  of  which  there  is  any  reliable 
account  was  the  Juniata,  which  was  built  by  William  Power  and  David 
Watts  in  1808.  It  was  located  on  a  small  tributary  of  Buffalo  creek, 
in  Centre  township,  and  was  operated  by  dift'erent  parties  until  about 
1838,  when  it  went  out  of  blast.  The  old  buildings  were  destroyed  by  a 
storm  in  1855.  Four  years  before  it  was  built  William  Lewis,  the 
founder  of  the  Hope  furnace,  established  what  was  known  as  the  Mount 
Vernon  forge  on  Cocolamus  creek,  in  Greenwood  township,  but  no 
history  of  this  concern  can  be  obtained. 

The  Oak  Grove  furnace  was  originally  called  the  Charlotte  furnace. 
It  was  put  in  blast  on  December  4,  1827,  having  been  built  in  that  year 
by  Adam  and  John  Hays.  About  two  years  later  the  firm  became  Hays 
&  McClure  and  the  name  was  changed  to  Oak  Grove.  It  continued  in 
business  until  1843. 

What  is  now  the  Duncannon  Iron  W'orks  had  its  beginning  in  1828, 
when  Duncan  &  ]Mahon  erected  a  forge  at  the  junction  of  the  Susque- 
hanna river  and  Juniata  creek  and  soon  afterward  purchased  about  1,200 
acres  of  land  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  Duncan  &  ]\Iahon  continued  to 
operate  the  forge  until  about  1832,  when  it  was  leased  to  John  John- 
ston &  Company.  In  the  spring  of  1836  the  forge,  with  about  6,000 
acres  of  land,  passed  to  Fisher  &  Morgan,  who  operated  the  forge  for  a 
short  time,  when  it  was  torn  down  and  a  rolling  mill  60  by  100  feet  was 
built  in  its  place.  In  1840  a  nail  factory  was  added,  with  a  capacity  of 
20,000  kegs  annually.  A  severe  flood  in  Sherman's  creek  on  March 
14,  1846,  carried  away  the  dam  and  part  of  the  rolling  mill,  but  both 
were  rebuilt  in  a  short  time.     An  anthracite   furnace  was   put  up   in 


302  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

1853  and  was  subsequently  rebuilt,  increasing  the  capacity  to  15,000 
tons  per  annum.  A  second  flood  in  the  spring  of  1S60  swept  away  the 
dam  and  from  that  time  the  works  have  been  operated  by  steam.  The 
firm  suffered  a  considerable  loss  in  i860  when  the  nail  mills  were  de- 
stroyed by  fire.  They  were  rebuilt  during  the  year  and  the  capacity 
doubled  by  the  installation  of  new  machines.  On  February  i,  1861, 
Fisher,  Morgan  &  Company  sold  the  property  to  the  Duncannon  Iron 
Company,  incorporated,  under  which  management  it  is  still  conducted. 

Fio  forge  was  built  in  the  loop  of  Sherman's  creek,  near  the  line  of 
Penn  and  Wheatfield  townships,  Perry  county,  in  1828.  The  proprietors. 
Downing  &  Davis,  sold  the  property  to  Lindley  &  Speck  before  the 
forge  was  completed,  and  in  1841  it  became  the  property  of  Jackson, 
Yocum  &  Kough,  who  operated  it  until  a  flood  carried  out  the  dam  in 
March,  1846,  after  which  the  works  were  abandoned. 

In  June,  1834,  Lindley,  Downing  &  Fisher  purchased  a  tract  of  land 
in  \\'heatfield  and  Miller  townships  and  erected  thereon  the  Montabello 
furnace,  which  was  soon  afterward  sold  to  Fisher,  Morgan  &  Company. 
The  latter  firm  operated  it  in  connection  with  the  Duncannon  Iron 
Works  until   1S46,  when  it  was  discontinued. 

About  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  Duncannon.  \^'illiam  ]\lcllvaine 
&  Sons,  of  Philadelphia,  purchased  several  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
1863  and  erected  thereon  the  Cove  forge.  It  went  into  blast  in  Sep- 
tember, 1865.  with  si.x  fires,  the  blast  being  run  by  water  power  and  a 
Sexton  hammer  run  by  steam.  The  firm  also  made  charcoal  on  their 
lands  for  use  in  the  furnace  and  the  business  was  successfully  carried  on 
for  several  years  before  it  became  unprofitable  and  was  closed. 

The  Marshall  furnace,  in  Oliver  township.  Perry  county,  was  built 
in  1 87 1  by  Egle,  Phillips  &  Company,  and  the  Logan  Iron  and  Steel 
Company  was  organized  at  Lewistown.  The  latter  concern  purchased 
the  property  of  the  Freedom  Iron  and  Steel  Company,  which  had  been 
established  in  1866,  and  which  erected  the  Emma  furnace  in  1868,  a 
short  distance  above  the  old  Freedom  furnace  of  1795.  In  November, 
1871,  the  Logan  Iron  and  Steel  Company,  under  the  presidency  of 
John  M.  Kennedy,  of  Philadelphia,  began  the  manufacture  of  both  pig 
and  bar  iron  by  the  charcoal  process.  The  rolling  mill  and  bar  mill 
were  at  that  time  on  what  is  known  as  the  island,  but  in  1882  a  new  roll- 
ing mill  was  built  on  the  west  side  of  Kishacoquillas  creek  and  upon 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  303 

its  completion  the  old  works  were  leased  to  the  Standard  Steel  Com- 
pany. 

The  manufacture  of  steel  at  this  point  was  commenced  in  1868  by 
the  Freedom  Iron  and  Steel  Company,  by  the  Bessemer  process,  but  after 
a  few  months  the  experiment  was  abandoned.  When  the  plant  was  sold 
to  the  Logan  Company  in  1871,  much  of  the  machinery  was  sold  to  the 
Joliet  Steel  Company,  of  Illinois,  which  sold  part  of  it  to  William 
Butcher,  of  Philadelphia,  who  began  the  manufacture  of  steel  tires. 
After  about  three  years  Mr.  Butcher  became  financially  embarrassed 
and  the  works  were  operated  for  a  short  time  by  his  creditors,  when 
the  Standard  Company  was  organized  and  took  over  the  concern.  With- 
in the  last  decade  the  works  have  been  greatly  enlarged  and  several 
hundred  men  are  now  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  locomotive  driv- 
ing tires,  trucks,  tender  and  coach  wheel  tires,  forged  and  rolled  steel 
wheels,  tool  steel,  steel  and  iron  forgings  and  castings,  steel  crusher 
rolls,  etc.  Although  the  company  has  always  been  practically  a  part 
of  the  Baldwin  Locomotive  Works  of  Philadelphia,  it  is  incorporated 
as  a  separate  institution,  with  a  capitalization  of  $7,000,000.  Its  plant 
is  equipped  with  the  most  modern  appliances  and  is  the  largest  manu- 
facturing enterprise  in  the  Juniata  valley.  Branch  offices  are  main- 
tained in  several  cities  of  the  country,  but  the  main  office  is  in  Phila- 
delphia. 

In  1835  William  Mann  began  the  manufacture  of  axes  on  a  small 
scale  in  a  little  stone  shop  on  Kishacoquillas  creek,  in  what  now  bears 
the  name  of  Mann's  Narrows.  The  building  in  which  he  began  had 
been  erected  some  years  before  by  a  man  named  Spangler  and  used 
for  the  manufacture  of  gun  barrels.  At  first  Mr.  ]Mann  did  his  work 
with  the  assistance  of  one  helper  and  the  product  was  but  six  axes 
a  day.  As  the  quality  of  his  axes  became  known  to  lumbermen  the 
demand  increased,  his  works  were  enlarged,  skilled  workmen  were  em- 
ployed and  the  output  went  up  to  about  1,400  axes  daily.  After  the 
death  of  the  founder  in  1855,  his  sons  continued  in  the  business.  The 
plant  is  now  located  at  Yeagertown  and  is  known  as  the  J.  H.  Mann 
axe  factory.  The  Mann  Edge  Tool  Company  has  its  plant  in  Lewis- 
town. 

In  1870  H.  S.  Wharton  established  a  shoe  factory  in  Huntingdon 
and  two  years  later  added  a  tannery.     This  concern,  known  as  the  Key- 


304  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

stone  Boot,  Shoe  and  Leather  ^Manufacturing  Company,  soon  occupied 
a  well-equipped  plant  at  the  corner  of  Penn  and  Sixteenth  streets,  and 
during  the  forty  years  or  more  of  its  career  has  done  a  prosperous  busi- 
ness. 

The  Huntingdon  Car  Works  and  ^lachine  Shops  were  established 
in  1872  by  Orbison  &  Company  on  the  west  side  of  Penn  street,  between 
Seventeenth  and  Eighteenth,  occupying  about  five  acres  of  ground. 
The  first  buildings  were  a  wood-working  department  70  by  160  feet,  an 
erecting  shop  60  by  165  feet,  a  machine  and  blacksmith  shop  46  liy  173 
feet,  and  an  engine  house  26  by  ^2  feet.  As  the  business  grew  larger, 
better  buildings  have  been  erected.  The  company  manufactures  cars 
and  car-wheels  and  does  a  large  amount  of  repair  work  on  various 
kinds  of  machinery. 

Other  Huntingdon  manufactories  are  turning  out  iron  wares,  sewer 
pipes,  etc.,  but  perhaps  the  business  that  has  done  more  than  any  other 
to  advertise  Huntingdon  to  the  outside  world  is  the  J.  C.  Blair  Com- 
pany, manufacturing  stationers.  John  C.  Blair,  the  founder  of  the  busi- 
ness, was  the  first  man  in  the  world  to  pttt  up  stationery  in  the  form  of 
tablets,  to  which  he  soon  after  added  the  decorated  covers.  He  began 
in  1878  in  a  small  store  room  at  422  Penn  street,  which  was  abandoned 
in  1 88 1  for  the  old  Presbyterian  clnirch.  Three  years  later  a  five-story 
brick  building  was  erected  at  Sixth  and  Allegheny  streets,  and  in  i88g 
an  eight-story  building  was  put  up  and  in  ^lay,  1891,  the  business  was 
incorporated.  The  company  employs  about  250  people  and  its  annual 
product  reaches  about  $1,000,000,  the  Blair  tablets  going  all  over  the 
world. 

A  recent  industry  of  the  Juniata  valley  that  is  attracting  consider- 
able attention  is  the  Suskana  Silk  Works  of  Lewistown,  which  were 
established  in  1909.  The  plant  at  this  point  is  one  of  a  chain  of  six 
mills  in  the  LTnited  States,  the  others  being  in  New  York  City,  two  at 
Sunbury,  Pennsylvania,  Marion,  Ohio,  and  Jersey  Shore,  Pennsylvania. 
The  business  was  originally  established  in  Germany  about  1784  and 
this  branch  of  the  silk  manufacturing  industry  is  controlled  by  the 
Schniewind  famil}',  which  also  has  eight  mills  in  Germany.  The  Lewis- 
town  mills  are  built  on  the  most  modern  principles  and  employ,  when 
running  at  their  full  capacity,  about  500  persons. 

Lack  of  space  prevents  a  detailed  account  of  every  manufacturing 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  305 

establishment  in  the  valley.  In  addition  to  those  already  given  there 
are  a  number  of  smaller  but  successful  industries  scattered  through  the 
four  counties.  Belleville  has  a  foundry  and  machine  shop  and  a  carpet 
factory.  Besides  the  Duncannon  Iron  Works,  that  borough  has  estab- 
lishments turning  out  hosiery,  shirts,  flour,  dairy  products,  etc.  There 
is  a  foundry  at  Liverpool ;  sand  and  ocher  mills  at  McVeytown ;  two 
large  silica  brick  plants  at  Mount  Union;  a  bending  works  and  spoke 
factory,  knitting  mills  and  shirt  factory  at  New  Bloomfield;  a  silica 
sand  works  and  creamery  at  Newton  Hamilton ;  foundries  and  wood- 
working mills  at  Lewistown,  Huntingdon  and  other  places,  and  a  num- 
ber of  flour  mills  at  various  other  points.  At  Newport  there  are  iron 
furnaces,  hosiery  mills,  a  large  tannery,  planing  mills,  and  a  tanning 
extract  works  which  uses  thousands  of  cords  of  oak  wood  annually.  The 
headquarters  of  the  extract  company  are  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  The  re- 
port of  the  state  factory  inspector  for  the  year  1910  shows  that  inspec- 
tions were  made  of  manufacturing  concerns  in  the  Juniata  valley  as 
follows : 

Number  of  Number 

establishments  of  operatives 

Huntingdon   county   37  2.277 

Mifflin  "         44  3,920 

Juniata  "         6  186 

Perry  "         IS  412 

Total    102  6,795 

Of  the  102  plants  inspected  ii  were  iron  works,  iS  were  devoted 
to  the  textile  industries  and  the  remainder  were  of  a  miscellaneous  char- 
acter— tanneries,  bakeries,  wood-working  establishments,  etc. — and  of 
the  6,795  employees  1,067  '^vere  women  and  girls,  employed  chiefly 
in  the  knitting  mills. 

One  of  the  important  industries  of  Huntingdon  and  ]\Iifflin  counties 
is  the  manufacture  or  preparation  of  glass  sand.  This  business  orig- 
inated in  1 868,  when  Wirt,  Davis  &:  Ross  began  taking  sand  from  a 
hill  a  short  distance  northwest  of  McVeytown.  The  first  car-load  was 
shipped  to  Pittsburgh,  where  it  was  pronounced  of  excellent  quality  for 
the  manufacture  of  glass,  and  in  1870  Bradley  &  Dull  began  operations 
on  a  more  extensive  scale.  In  1876  John  McGuir<"  leased  a  small  tract 
of  land  near  McVeytown  and  opened  a  sand  mine.     i\  year  or  two  later 


3o6  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

he  disposed  of  it  to  a  man  named  ^Miller  and  in  i8So  it  was  purchased 
b}"  Dull  &  Wilson,  who  four  years  later  had  increased  their  shipments  to 
about  6,000  cars  annually.  Investigations  developed  the  fact  that  there 
were  rich  deposits  of  sand  at  other  places  along  the  river  and  in  a  few 
years  a  number  of  works  were  in  active  operation.  For  the  last  few 
years  the  business  has  been  practically  controlled  by  the  Pennsylvania 
Glass  Sand  Company,  with  general  offices  in  Lewistown  and  mines  at 
McVeytown.  Vineyard,  Alapleton,  and  elsewhere.  The  Pennsylvania 
Pulverizing  Company,  which  is  closely  allied  to  the  sand  company,  has 
extensiv.e  works  at  the  Juniata  mines,  near  McVeytown,  where  the  sand 
is  finely  pulverized  for  the  use  of  potters  and  in  enameling  tile,  etc. 

The  first  attempts  to  utilize  the  coal  deposits  in  the  Broad  Top  fields 
were  made  about  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Strange  as 
it  may  seem  to  those  of  the  present  generation,  the  owners  of  the  coal 
lands  entertained  the  idea  that  the  coal  was  a  fertilizer,  and  in  1807 
Samuel  Riddle,  who  owned  large  tracts  of  the  coal-bearing  land,  offered 
to  furnish  it  free  to  farmers  who  might  desire  to  make  experiments 
with  it.  The  next  spring  he  announced  that  the  coal,  finely  ground, 
would  be  furnished  to  farmers  at  the  rate  of  two  shillings  and  sixpence 
per  bushel  and  gave  the  following  directions  for  its  use:  "The  coal 
should  be  ground  or  beaten  into  a  fine  powder,  and  applied  at  the  rate 
of  a  handful  to  each  hill  of  Indian  corn  immediately  after  hilling,  and 
upon  grass  at  the  rate  of  two  or  three  bushels  to  the  acre.  .  .  .  The 
sulphuric  acid  contained  in  the  Stone  Coal  is  said  to  destroy  the  Turnip 
fly  and  to  banish  the  cut  worm  and  other  destructive  insects  from  the 
Gardens  and  Fields  upon  which  it  has  been  sown.  Farmers  and  others 
will  confer  a  favor  upon  the  subscriber  by  making  trial  of  the  coal 
for  this  purpose  and  communicating  the  result  of  their  experiments." 

After  the  failure  of  the  coal  as  a  fertilizer,  no  further  efforts  were 
made  to  develop  the  deposits  until  after  the  middle  of  the  century.  In 
1856  the  output  of  the  mines  was  about  42,000  tons,  ^^'ith  the  comple- 
tion of  the  Huntingdon  &  Broad  Top  railroad  the  production  increased 
and  in  1870  was  over  300.000  tons.  Four  years  later  the  East  Broad 
Top  railroad  tapped  the  fields  and  since  then  the  amount  of  coal  shipped 
from  this  field  has  steadily  increased,  until  in  1912  it  was  over  3.400,000 
tons.  In  Huntingdon  county,  the  largest  single  producer  is  the  Rock- 
hill  Iron  and  Coal  Company,  which  in  the  year  mentioned  shipped  nearly 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  307 

420,000  tons.  Other  large  concerns  are  the  Broad  Top  Coal  and  Min- 
eral Company  and  the  Huntingdon  Coal  Company.  Of  the  coal  from 
this  field  it  has  been  said  that  it  makes  "a  bright,  open,  tenacious,  and 
strong  coke.  The  only  other  coals  that  approach  it  in  this  respect  are 
the  Connellsville,  in  Fayette  county,  and  the  Bennington,  on  the  crest 
of  the  Allegheny  mountains."  An  analysis  shows  that  the  Broad  Top 
coal  contains  a  larger  percentage  of  fixed  carbon,  a  lower  percentage 
of  ash  and  volatile  matter  and,  therefore,  a  larger  percentage  of  coke 
than  any  other  coal  in  the  state. 

Within  recent  years  considerable  attention  has  been  given  to  the 
development  of  the  water  power  in  the  Juniata  river  and  its  tributaries, 
the  power  thus  developed  being  used  for  the  generation  and  transmis- 
sion of  electricity  to  the  surrounding  towns  and  cities,  where  it  is  used 
both  for  lighting  purposes  and  the  operation  of  motors  in  manufacturing 
establishmeiats.  The  Wilson  Electric  Company  brings  its  current  of 
electricity  from  Alexandria,  a  distance  of  seven  miles,  to  Huntingdon, 
where  it  is  used  b}-  a  number  of  manufacturers  for  both  light  and  power. 
About  1907  the  Juniata  Water  Power  Company  built  a  large  dam  in 
the  Juniata  two  miles  above  Huntingdon  and  furnishes  the  power  for 
the  operation  of  the  street  railway  system  of  that  borough.  This  com- 
pany has  a  capacity  of  about  5,000  horse  power.  The  Raystown  Water 
Power  Company  was  organized  in  1905  and  chartered  by  the  state  on 
March  30,  1906,  with  a  capital  of  $750,000.  Its  water  power  plant  is 
located  on  the  Raystown  Branch,  about  seven  miles  from  Huntingdon, 
and  has  a  capacity  of  3,900  horse  power.  It  is  now  furnishing  current 
to  Huntingdon,  Mapleton,  Carlim,  Williamsburg,  and  a  few  other  points, 
and  a  force  of  men  are  constantly  employed  on  new  construction,  ex- 
tending the  lines,  etc.  The  use  of  electricity  as  a  power  has  been  so 
much  reduced  in  cost  by  these  water  power  companies  that  only  three  of 
the  manufacturing  concerns  in  Huntingdon  were  using  steam  in  1910, 
according  to  the  census  reports. 

While  much  of  the  surface  in  the  district  embraced  in  this  work 
is  hilly  and  not  adapted  to  cultivation,  agriculture  is  still  the  leading- 
occupation.  Much  of  the  soil  is  of  a  strong  limestone  character  and 
yields  abundant  crops  of  the  cereals,  grasses,  and  vegetables  that  are 
usually  grown  successfully  in  this  latitude.  Since  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century  many  of  the  farmers  have  become  interested  in  fruit 


3o8  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

growing  and  the  result  is  a  number  of  thrifty  young  orchards,  which 
promise  to  become  profitable  investments  in  the  near  future. 

On  April  i6,  1S28,  a  number  of  citizens  of  Huntingdon  county  met 
at  the  court-house  and  organized  an  agricultural  society,  with  John 
Patton  as  president;  John  Blair,  vice-president;  ^latthew  D.  Gregg  and 
Jacob  Miller,  secretaries.  At  a  meeting  on  August  15,  1828,  a  consti- 
tution was  adopted,  in  which  the  name  of  the  society  was  given  as  the 
Huntingdon  County  Agricultural  and  [Manufacturing  Society.  Xo  rec- 
ord of  this  organization  can  be  found  after  January  14,  1829. 

A  second  agricultural  society  was  projected  at  a  meeting  on  Xovem- 
ber  15,  1854,  and  was  permanently  organized  on  the  9th  of  the  following 
January  by  the  election  of  Jonathan  ]\Ic\\'illiams,  president:  a  vice- 
president  from  each  township  of  the  county;  J.  S.  Barr  and  J.  S.  Isett, 
recording  secretaries;  John  Gemmill,  corresponding  secretary;  James 
Givin,  treasurer ;  Theodore  H.  Cremer,  librarian.  The  society  was  in- 
corporated at  the  August  term  of  the  court  in  1871  and  during  the  next 
twenty  years  a  number  of  fairs  were  held,  the  premium  list  frequently 
running  over  Si. 000.  In  the  report  of  the  state  department  of  agricul- 
ture of  1910  no  mention  is  made  of  the  Huntingdon  county  society  in 
the  list  of  agricultural  societies  in  Pennsylvania,  and  it  has  evidently 
lapsed  into  a  state  of  inactivity. 

An  agricultural  society  was  formed  in  INIitiflin  county  in  the  first  half 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  but  after  a  few  years  it  was  disbanded.  On 
November  19,  1874,  the  Mifflin  County  Fair  Association  was  organized 
with  a  capital  of  $6,000.  Twenty-one  acres  of  ground  were  purchased 
from  William  R.  Graham,  a  short  distance  east  of  Lewistown,  and 
during  the  summer  of  1875  the  tract  was  fenced,  a  half-mile  track  con- 
structed, two  buildings,  each  40  by  60  feet,  were  erected,  as  well  as  a 
grandstand  facing  the  race  track,  and  the  first  fair  was  held  in  the  fall 
of  that  year.  Fairs  were  held  annually  until  1879,  when  a  general  lack 
of  interest  caused  the  society  to  disband.  On  the  last  day  of  the  farm- 
ers' institute  in  December,  1912.  the  ]\Iifflin  County  Horticultural  and 
Agricultural  Association  was  organized  with  M.  M.  Naginey,  president ; 
H.  H.  Laub,  Jr.,  secretary;  W.  J.  McNitt,  treasurer.  It  is  the  purpose 
of  this  society  to  give  annual  exhibits  of  horticultural  and  agricultural 
products  of  the  county,  but  without  going  to  the  expense  of  maintaining 
a  fair  ground,  at  least  for  some  years. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  309 

The  first  agricultural  society  in  Juniata  county  was  organized  on 
February  26,  1852,  with  John  Beale,  president,  and  Lewis  Burchfield, 
secretary.  For  several  years  it  held  fairs  at  Mifiliintown  and  Perry- 
ville,  alternately,  and,  on  December  10,  1859,  it  was  incorporated.  Soon 
after  the  incorporation  the  society  purchased  a  tract  of  ground  at  Port 
Royal,  built  a  half-mile  race  track,  and  erected  buildings  costing  over  $1,- 
000.  Here  fairs  have  since  been  held.  In  1910  the  society  numbered  113 
members,  with  Charles  D.  Frankhouse,  president ;  James  N.  Groninger, 
secretary:  both  residents  of  Port  Royal.  The  fair  that  year  was  at- 
tended by  about  40.000  people.  The  society  received  in  19 10  the  sum 
of  $838  from  the  state  and  paid  out  over  $1,000  in  premiums. 

An  organization  called  the  Riverside  Park  and  Agricultural  Associa- 
tion was  organized  at  Patterson  in  ]\Iay.  1874,  but  it  was  of  a  local 
nature,  pertaining  to  Mifflintown  and  the  immediate  vicinity.  A  fair 
ground  of  fourteen  acres,  about  half  a  mile  down  the  river  from  Mifflin- 
town,  was  leased  of  Ezra  S.  Parker  and  several  thousand  dollars  were 
spent  in  the  construction  of  a  race  track  and  the  erection  of  buildings. 
The  first  fair  was  held  in  September,  1874,  and  fairs  were  held  annually 
thereafter  until  1883,  when  the  grounds  were  turned  over  to  the  owner 
and  the  society  disbanded. 

The  writer  has  been  unable  to  learn  the  early  history  of  the  Perry 
Countv  Agricultural  Society,  but  it  has  been  in  existence  for  many 
years.  According  to  the  report  of  the  state  department  of  agriculture 
for  1910,  the  society  numbered  324  memljers,  with  T.  H.  Butturf,  presi- 
dent :  J.  C.  F.  Stephens,  secretary.  Both  these  officials  are  residents  of 
Newport,  where  the  fair  grounds  of  the  society  are  situated.  On  these 
grounds  are  a  number  of  buildings  for  the  display  of  agricultural  prod- 
ucts, a  half-mile  race  track,  and  all  the  appurtenances  of  a  well  ordered 
fair  ground.  In  1910  the  society  received  from  the  state  $715.75  and 
paid  out  in  premiums  about  $1,200. 

Manv  of  the  valley  farmers  are  regular  attendants  upon  the  farmers' 
institutes  and  are  applying  the  information  thus  gained  to  their  work 
upon  their  farms.  In  19 10  institutes  were  held  in  Huntingdon  county 
at  Shirlevsburg,  McAlevy's  Fort,  Alexandria,  and  Warriors  Mark;  in 
Mifflin  county  at  Mc\^eytown  and  Milroy;  in  Juniata  at  McAlisterville 
and  East  Waterford :  and  in  Perry  at  Newport,  Roseglen,  and  Landis- 
burg.     The  attendance  at  these  institutes  was  as   follows :     Hunting- 


3IO  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY 

don,  2,489;  Mifflin,  1,531;  Juniata,  1,726;  Perry,  1,610.  Through  the 
medium  of  these  institutes  over  8,000  farmers  have  been  brought  into 
contact  with  the  best  thought  of  scientific  agriculturists,  and  the  result 
is  seen  in  the  improved  methods  that  are  being  adopted  by  the  farmers 
and  the  greater  yield  of  their  fields.  The  institute  managers  of  the  dif- 
ferent counties  are :  Huntingdon,  G.  G.  Hutchinson,  Warriors  Mark ; 
Mifflin,  M.  M.  Naginey,  Milroy;  Juniata,  Matthew  Rodgers,  Mexico; 
Perry,  A.  T.  Holman,  Millerstown.  J.  H.  Peachy,  of  Belleville,  Mif- 
flin county,  is  one  of  the  institute  lecturers.  Another  lecturer  from  the 
valley  district  is  Mrs.  Sarah  B.  F.  Ziegler,  of  Duncannon. 


CHAPTER    XVI 
THE   PROFESSIONS 

Establishment  of  a  Judiciary  System — Early  Courts — Judicial  Districts  Created — 
Prominent  Members  of  the  Bar — Judge  Taylor — Lists  of  Judges  and  District  At- 
torneys in  the  Several  Counties — Land  Lawyers — John  Bannister  Gibson — Bar  As- 
sociations— The  Medical  Profession — Character  and  Hardships  of  the  Country 
Doctor — Pioneer  Physicians — Medical  Societies — The  Doctor  as  a  Citizen. 

IN  the  establishment  of  a  judiciary  system  in  Pennsylvania  all  judges 
were  appointed  by  the  governor  and  held  their  offices  for  life  or 
during  good  behavior.  This  system  prevailed  until  185 1.  In 
1850  an  amendment  was  made  to  the  state  constitution  providing  for 
an  elective  judiciary  and  on  April  15,  185 1,  the  general  assembly  passed 
an  act  giving  full  force  to  the  amendment.  Under  this  s}-stem  the  pres- 
ident judges  are  elected  for  ten  years  and  the  associate  judges  for  five 
years.  The  office  of  district  attorney  was  also  made  elective  in  1850. 
Prior  to  that  time  the  duties  of  this  office  had  been  discharged  by  an 
official  appointed  by  the  governor  and  known  as  a  deputy  attorney-gen- 
eral, or  prosecuting  attorney.  Their  appointment  was  made  in  an  in- 
formal manner  and  the  attorneys-general  of  the  state  kept  no  record  of 
such  appointments,  hence  it  is  impossible  to  give  a  list  of  those  who  filled 
the  position  prior  to  1850. 

When  Huntingdon  county,  the  oldest  in  the  district  included  in  this 
work,  was  established  in  1787,  Robert  Galbraith  was  appointed  president 
judge,  receiving  his  commission  as  such  on  November  jt^,  1787.  Nearly 
four  years  elapsed  before  the  first  associate  judges  were  appointed, 
the  courts  being  held  by  the  president  judge  and  the  justices  of  the 
county,  or,  in  the  absence  of  the  president  judge,  by  the  justices  alone. 
The  first  justices  in  Huntingdon  were  Thomas  D.  Smith,  John  Williams, 
Thomas  McCune,  and  William  Phillips,  and  these  gentlemen,  with  Judge 
Galbraith,  constituted  the  first  court  in  the  county.  On  August  17,  1791, 
four  associate  justices  were  commissioned.     Following  is  a  list  of  the 

311 


312  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

judicial  officials  of  the  county,  as  nearly  comijlete  and  authentic  as  it 
can  be  compiled  from  the  records : 

Pn-sidcjit  Judges — Robert  Galbraith,  1787;  Thomas  Smith,  1791 ; 
James  Riddle,  1794:  Thomas  Cooper,  1804;  Jonathan  Walker,  1S06; 
Charles  Huston.  1818:  Thomas  Burnside,  1826;  George  W.  Woodward, 
1841 ;  Abraham  S.  Wilson,  1842;  George  Taylor,  appointed  in  1849, 
the  first  president  judge  to  be  elected  in  1851  and  reelected  in  1861 ; 
John  Dean,  1871 ;  John  H.  Orvis,  1874;  Adam  Hoy,  1S83:  Austin  O. 
Furst,  1885;  John  G.  Love  (elected  in  1894  and  served  but  six  months 
when  a  change  in  the  district  left  Huntingdon  county  without  a  presi- 
dent judge.  A\'illiam  iL  Williamson  was  appointed  on  June  24.  1895, 
and  served  until  January,  1896,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  John  AL 
Bailey,  who  was  elected  in  Xovemljer,  1895)  •  Joseph  ^L  Woods,  1903. 
Judge  ^^'oods  was  first  appointed  on  October  27,  1903,  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  death  of  Judge  Bailey,  and  in  November,  1904,  he  was 
elected  for  a  full  term  of  ten  years. 

Bv  the  act  of  April  13,  1791,  the  state  was  divided  into  five  judicial 
districts,  in  each  of  which  was  established  a  court  of  common  pleas,  con- 
sisting of  a  president  judge  and  not  fewer  than  three  nor  more  than 
four  associate  judges  in  each  county.  The  Fourth  district  was  com- 
posed of  Cumberland.  Franklin.  Bedford,  Huntingdon  and  ]\Iifflin  coun- 
ties.    In  Huntingdon  county  the  following  is  the  list  of 

Associate  Judges— David  Stewart,  Robert  Galbraith,  John  Canan. 
Benjamin  Elliott,  commissioned  August  17,  1791,  and  Hugh  Davidson, 
November  4,  1791 ;  William  Steel,  1804;  Joseph  JNIcCune,  1810:  Joseph 
Adams,  1826;  John  Ker,  1838:  James  Gwin,  1843;  John  Stewart,  184O; 
Jonathan  ]\IcWilliams,  185 1;  Jonathan  ]\IcWiIliams  and  Thomas  F. 
Stewart,  elected  in  1851  :  B.  F.  Patton  and  John  Brewster,  1S56:  Wil- 
liam B.  Leas,  i860;  B.  F.  Patton.  1861  :  Anthony  J.  Beaver,  1865 :  David 
Clarkson,  1866  (Beaver  and  Clarkson  both  elected  for  a  second  term) ; 
Adam  Heeter,  1875;  GrafTus  ]\Iiller,  1880:  George  W.  Johnson,  1881 ; 
Charles  R.  McCarthy,  1885;  Wilson  O.  Watson,  1890:  William  J.  Geis- 
singer,  1893;  W.  H.  Benson.  1897:  E.  O.  Rogers.  1898:  W.  E.  Lightner, 
1907;  Harris  Richardson,   1908. 

District  Attorneys — J.  Sewell  Stewart.  1850;  Theodore  H.  Cremer, 
1856:  Samuel  T.  Brown,  1859:  J.  H.  O.  Corbin.  1862;  James  D.  Camp- 
beU,  1864:  K.  Allen  Lovell.  1866;  ISIilton  S.  Lytle.  1869;  H.  C.  Madden, 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  313 

1872;  J.  C.  Jackson,  1875;  George  B.  Orlady,  1881 ;  Charles  G.  Brown, 
1887;  W.  J.  Forbes,  1890;  Hayes  H.  Waite,  1893;  H.  B.  Dunn,  1896; 
Richard  Wilhamson,  1902;  Charles  G.  Brewster,  1908. 

Of  the  president  judges  of  the  county,  Walker,  Huston,  Burnside, 
Woodward  and  Taylor  were  especially  distinguished  for  their  legal 
learning  and  ability.  Judge  Taylor  served  longer  on  the  bench  than  any 
other  president  judge.  He  was  born  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania, 
November  12,  1812,  and  never  attended  school  after  he  was  thirteen 
years  of  age.  Being  a  student  by  nature,  he  educated  himself  and  when 
a  young  man  came  to  Huntingdon  county,  where  he  found  employment 
as  a  teacher  in  Dublin  township.  Later  he  was  employed  in  the  office  of 
the  county  prothonotary  and  in  1834  he  began  the  study  of  law  under 
Andrew  P.  W^ilson.  In  April,  1836.  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
soon  afterward  formed  a  partnership  with  John  G.  Miles,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Miles  &  Taylor.  In  1849,  \vhen  the  legislature  changed 
the  judicial  districts  of  the  state,  erecting  the  counties  of  Huntingdon, 
Blair  and  Cambria  into  the  Twent^'-fourth  district,  the  members  of  the 
bar  in  Huntingdon  and  Blair  counties  were  almost  unanimous  in  recom- 
mending Mr.  Taylor  for  the  president  judgeship  of  the  district.  He 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Johnson  in  April,  1849,  and  in  185 1  was 
elected  for  the  full  term  of  ten  }'ears.  He  was  reelected  in  1861  and  in 
October,  1871,  only  a  short  time  before  the  close  of  his  second  term,  he 
was  stricken  with  paralysis  while  presiding  at  the  regular  term  of  the 
Blair  county  court.  He  was  brought  to  his  home  in  Huntingdon  and 
died  there  on  November  14,  1S71,  after  a  service  of  nearly  twenty-three 
years  upon  the  bench.  The  bar  of  the  district  passed  resolutions  of 
respect  and  attended  the  funeral  in  a  body.  Concerning  his  judicial 
qualifications  and  character.  Colonel  \\'illiam  Dorris,  a  member  of  the 
Huntingdon  bar,  said :  "As  a  man  of  sound  judgment,  a  close,  logical, 
and  profound  thinker,  and  a  clear  and  forcible  writer  he  had  no  superior, 
and  perhaps  few  equals,  in  the  judiciary  of  the  Commonwealth.  His 
charges  and  opinions  have  been  pronounced,  Ijy  competent  judges,  not 
inferior  to  the  best  similar  judicial  productions  that  have  been  carried 
before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  during  the  last  quarter  of  a 
century." 

When  IMiiflin  county  was  erected  in  1789,  Section  4  of  the  organic 
act  provided  that :  "The  justices  of  the  peace  commissioned  at  the  time 


314  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

of  passing  this  act,  and  residing  within  the  bounds  and  hmits  of  the 
said  county,  herein  and  hereby  erected  and  constituted,  shall  be  justices 
of  the  peace  for  the  said  county  during  the  time  for  which  they  were  so 
commissioned ;  and  they,  or  any  three  of  them,  shall  and  may  hold 
courts  of  General  Quarter  Sessions  of  the  Peace.  And  the  justices  of 
the  Common  Pleas  in  like  manner  commissioned  and  residing,  or  any 
three  or  more  of  them,  shall  and  may  hold  courts  of  Common  Pleas  in 
the  said  county  during  the  time  they  were  so  commissioned,"  etc. 

The  act  further  provided  that  the  justices  of  the  supreme  court,  the 
courts  of  oyer  and  terminer  and  general  gaol  delivery  of  the  state  should 
have  the  same  jurisdiction  in  MilSin  as  in  the  other  counties  of  the 
state,  and  that  the  sessions  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  should  begin 
on  the  second  Tuesdays  in  December,  March,  June  and  September  of 
each  year.  The  first  court  was  held  at  the  house  of  Arthur  Buchanan 
on  December  8,  1789,  with  William  Brown  as  president  judge,  William 
Bell,  James  Burns  and  William  McCoy  as  associate  judges.  Little 
was  done  at  this  session  except  to  organize  the  court  and  admit  to  prac- 
tice three  lawyers — James  Hamilton,  Thomas  Duncan,  of  Carlisle,  and 
George  Fisher.  Duncan  was  afterward  a  justice  of  the  supreme  court. 
The  courts  of  the  county  continued  in  this  manner  until  after  the 
passage  of  the  act  of  April  13,  1791,  the  last  session  being  held  in  Sep- 
tember of  that  year.  After  that  the  courts  of  Mifflin  were  the  same  as 
those  of  other  counties,  composed  of  a  president  judge  and  associate 
judges.     Following  is  a  list  of  the  judges  of  the  county : 

President  Judges — William  Brown,  1789;  Thomas  Smith,  1791; 
James  Riddle,  1795;  Jonathan  Walker,  1806;  Charles  Huston,  1818; 
Thomas  Burnside,  1826;  George  W.  Woodward,  1841 ;  Abraham  S. 
Wilson,  1842;  Samuel  S.  Woods,  1861 ;  Joseph  C.  Bucher,  1871  (re- 
elected in  1881);  Harold  ]\I.  McClure,  1891 ;  John  M.  Bailey,  1894; 
Joseph  ]M.  Woods,  1904. 

In  the  above  list  it  will  be  noticed  that  the  president  judges  from 
1791  to  1842  are  the  same  as  those  of  Huntingdon  county.  A  little  later 
Huntingdon  county  was  taken  from  the  district,  leaving  it  composed 
of  Mifflin  and  Union  counties.  Another  change  was  in  1895,  when 
Huntingdon  and  Mifflin  were  again  thrown  together  and  the  judges 
from  that  time  to  19 13  have  been  the  same. 

Associate  Judges — William  Brown,    1791;   Samuel   Bryson,    1791; 


HISTORY    OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  315 

James  Armstrong,  1791;  Thomas  Beale,  1791;  John  Oliver,  1793; 
Joseph  Edmiston,  1800;  David  Beale,  1800;  David  Reynolds,  1828; 
James  Crisswell,  1837;  William  McCoy,  1839;  Samuel  P.  Lilley,  1841 ; 
Joseph  Kyle,  1843;  Charles  Ritz,  1847;  Samuel  Alexander,  1848; 
Thomas  W.  Moore,  1851;  John  Henry,  1851;  James  Parker,  1856; 
Cyrus  Stine,  1856;  James  Turner,  1861 ;  Elijah  Morrison,  1861  ;  Eph- 
raim  Banks,  1866;  William  Ross,  1866;  Augustus  Troxel,  1871 ;, George 
Weiler,  1871 ;  Samuel  Belford,  1877;  Reed  Sample,  1877;  John  Davis, 
1879;  William  McMonegle,  1882;  Jacob  Kohler,  1885  ;  Thomas  J.  Frow, 
1886;  Hiram  Rodgers,  1886;  Samuel  Killian,  1889;  Samuel  J.  Brisbin, 
1891 ;  Hezekiah  C.  Vanzand,  1894;  Joseph  A.  Werts,  1896;  William  A. 
Wilson,  1899;  W.  P.  Mendenhall,  1901 ;  Joseph  C.  Brehman,  1903; 
Forest  Swyers,  1905;  Gruber  H.  Bell,  1908;  J.  R.  McCoy,  191 1. 

District  Attorneys — Joseph  Alexander,  1850;  William  J.  Jacobs, 
1853;  Andrew  Reed,  1856;  Thomas  M.  Hulings,  1859;  Thomas  INI. 
L^ttley,  1862;  James  S.  Rakerd,  1868;  Horace  J.  Culbertson,  1871 ; 
William  H.  Strohm,  1874;  Rufus  C.  Elder,  1877;  Joseph  M.  Woods, 
1880;  Allison  W.  Porter,  1883;  M.  :\I.  McLaughlin,  1889;  Allison  W. 
Porter,  1892;  Howard  O.  Lantz,  1895;  A.  Reed  Hayes,  1898;  Fred. 
W.  Culbertson,  1901 ;  John  T.  Wilson,  1904;  J.  C.  Houser,  1907; 
Howard  W.  Aikin,  191 1. 

It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  more  than  passing  notice  that  nearly  all  of  the 
president  judges  in  this  district  rose  to  judicial  positions  of  greater 
eminence.  Jonathan  Walker,  who  was  born  in  Cumberland  county 
and  while  still  in  his  minority  served  in  the  Continental  army  in  the 
Revolution,  was  appointed  the  first  judge  of  the  United  States  court 
for  the  western  district  of  Pennsylvania,  which  was  created  by  act  of 
Congress  on  April  20,  1818.  Charles  Huston,  who  succeeded  Judge 
Walker  as  president  judge  of  the  district,  was  a  native  of  Bucks  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  son  of  Scotch-Irish  parents.  He  was  educated 
at  Dickinson  College,  studied  law  with  Thomas  Duncan  and  began 
practice  at  Bellefonte  in  1807.  In  April,  1826,  he  was  appointed  one 
of  the  justices  of  the  supreme  court  and  served  as  a  member  of  that 
tribunal  until  1845.  Thomas  Burnside,  a  native  of  County  Tyrone, 
Ireland,  came  to  Pennsylvania  in  1792,  when  he  was  ten  years  of  age. 
He  studied  law  with  Robert  Paxter,  of  Philadelphia,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1804.     In  181 1  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate,  and  in 


3i6  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

1816  was  appointed  president  judge  of  the  Luzerne  district.  In  1823  he 
was  again  elected  to  the  state  senate,  and,  upon  the  resignation  of  Judge 
Huston  in  1826,  was  appointed  president  judge  of  the  Fourth  district 
and  held  the  office  until  1841,  when  he  became  president  judge  of  the 
Seventh  district.  On  January  i,  1845,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the 
judges  of  the  supreme  court  and  held  that  position  until  his  death  in 
March,  1851.  George  W.  Woodward  also  served  as  one  of  the  supreme 
court  judges,  taking  his  place  in  May,  1852,  when  he  was  appointed  to 
the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Richard  Coulter.  He  was  afterward 
elected  for  the  full  term  of  fifteen  years  and  retired  from  the  bench 
in  December,  1867. 

Juniata  county  was  erected  by  the  act  of  March  2,  1831,  and  the 
first  court  met  in  the  Presb_\'terian  church  at  Mifflintown  on  December 
5,  183 1,  with  Calvin  Blythe  as  president  judge  and  Benjamin  Kepner  and 
Daniel  Christy  as  associate  judges.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Juniata 
county  was  taken  from  Mifflin,  which  belonged  to  the  Fourth  judicial 
district.  Thomas  Burnside,  at  that  time  president  judge  of  the  district, 
believing  that  his  jurisdiction  did  not  extend  to  the  new  county  of 
Juniata,  declined  to  hold  the  courts.  Judge  Blythe.  who  had  previously 
represented  the  legislative  district  with  which  Juniata  county  was  con- 
nected, and,  while  in  the  legislature,  formed  the  acquaintance  of  Gover- 
nor Shulze,  who  appointed  him  secretary  of  state  and  after  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  in  that  office  he  was  appointed  president  judge  of  the 
district  composed  of  Lebanon,  Dauphin  and  Schuylkill  counties.  While 
in  the  legislature  he  sympathized  with  the  people  of  Juniata  in  their 
efforts  to  secure  the  formation  of  a  new  county  and,  upon  the  refusal 
of  Judge  Burnside,  he  consented  to  hold  court  there,  and  did  so  from 
183 1  to  September,  1835,  although  the  county  was  not  in  his  district. 
Following  are  the  lists  of  the  president  and  associate  judges  and  dis- 
trict attorneys  of  Juniata  county : 

President  Judges — Calvin  Blythe,  183 1;  John  Reed,  1835;  Samuel 
Hepburn,  1839;  Frederick  Watts,  1849:  James  H.  Graham,  1851  (two 
terms)  ;  Benjamin  F.  Junkin,  1871  :  Charles  A.  Barnett,  1881  ;  Jeremiah 
Lyons,  1891 ;  James  W'.  Shull,  1901 ;  William  N.  Seibert,  191 1. 

Associate  Judges — Benjamin  Kepner  and  Daniel  Christy,  183 1  ;  John 
Beale  and  W^illiam  McAlister,  1842 :  James  R.  Morrison  and  James 
Frow,   1847:  John  Dimm  and  John  Crozier,   185 1  ;  David  Banks  and 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  317 

Evard  Oles,  1856;  Joseph  Pomeroy  and  Lewis  Burchlield,  1861 ;  Thomas 
J.  jNIiUiken  and  Samuel  Watts,  1866;  John  Koons  and  Jonathan  W'eiser, 
1871 ;  Xoah  A.  Elder  and  Francis  Bartley,  1876;  Jacob  Smith  and  Cyrus 
M.  Hench,  1881 ;  John  :Mc}*Ieen  and  J.  K.  Patterson,  1886;  Josiah  PL 
Barton  and  J.  P.  Wickersham,  1891 ;  W.  N.  Sterrett  and  William  Swartz, 
1896;  James  JM.  Nelson  and  Howard  Kirk,  1901 ;  Jerome  C.  Shelley  and 
R.  E.  Groninger,  1906;  Zenas  W.  Gilson  and  William  E.  Harley,  191 1. 

District  Attorneys — No  authentic  list  of  the  district  attorneys  prior 
to  1887  could  be  obtained  by  the  writer.  Since  then  the  men  who  have 
held  this  office  have  been  as  follows:  F.  ]M.  Pennell,  1887;  J.  H.  Neely, 
1890;  Wilberforce  Schweyer,  1893;  Charles  B.  Crawford,  1896;  George 
L.  Hower,  1899;  Andrew  Banks,  1903  (reelected  in  1905)  ;  Wilberforce 
Schweyer,   1908:  C.  N.  Graybill,   191 1. 

Judge  Blvthe,  the  first  president  judge,  became  a  resident  of  ;\Iif- 
flintown  and  practiced  his  profession  there  for  some  time.  It  is  said 
that  he  walked  from  Sunbury  to  IMifflintown,  his  trunk  following  on  a 
wagon  drawn  by  an  ox-team.  Another  story  told  of  him  is  that,  while 
serving  as  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  when  Colonel  Bull  was  killed 
at  the  battle  of  Chippewa,  young  Blythe  mounted  the  unfortunate  com- 
mander's horse  and  took  charge  of  the  regiment,  showing  such  bravery 
and  military  skill  that  he  led  the  troops  to  victory. 

Few  men  had  a  greater  capacity  for  hard  work  than  Judge  Frederick 
Watts.  After  serving  as  president  judge  until  the  election  of  Judge 
Graham,  in  185 1.  he  built  up  a  large  practice.  When  state  reporter 
he  did  not  gi\-e  up  his  private  business,  attending  to  the  interests  of  his 
clients  during  the  day  and  the  duties  of  reporter  during  the  evenings, 
frequently  working  until  a  late  hour  and  then  snatching  a  few  hours' 
sleep  on  a  lounge  at  his  office.  Ten  volumes  of  the  state  reports  bear  his 
name.  He  was  for  some  time  the  United  States  commissioner  of  agri- 
culture, where  he  performed  his  duties  with  the  same  indefatigable  in- 
dustry and  conscientious  care. 

At  the  time  Perry  county  was  erected,  by  the  act  of  March  22,  1820, 
there  was  not  a  single  lawyer  resident  in  the  county.  The  first  session 
of  court  was  held  the  following  December,  in  a  log  house  at  Landisburg, 
and  at  this  term  John  D.  Creigh  and  Frederick  M.  Wadsworth  were 
admitted  to  practice.  The  president  judge  was  John  Reed,  originally 
from  Westmoreland  county,  but  at  that  time  the  president  judge  of  the 


3iS  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNL\TA   VALLEY 

district  to  which  Perry  county  was  attached  by  the  organic  act.  The 
associate  judges  were  W.  B.  Anderson  and  Jeremiah  Madden. 

Much  of  the  htigation  of  that  period  was  over  land  titles  or  surveys 
and  there  were  several  members  of  the  old  Carlisle  bar  who  were  fam- 
ous as  "land  lawj'ers."  Among  them  were  David  W^atts,  Thomas  Dun- 
can and  Andrew  Carothers,  who  practiced  in  every  court  as  far  as  the 
Allegheny  mountains,  especially  in  the  land  cases.  These  disputes  grew 
out  of  the  belief  that  the  Tuscarora,  Shade  and  Blue  mountains  con- 
tained rich  deposits  of  coal,  because  they  were  similar  in  appearance  to 
the  ranges  in  the  Schuylkill  region,  where  coal  had  been  found.  Says 
Judge  Junkin:  "It  (coal)  could  not  exist  in  this  formation,  because 
more  than  two  miles  below  the  coal  measures.  Still,  owners  of  war- 
rants fought  about  over-lapping  surveys  and  conflicting  lines  with  as 
much  spirit  as  if  acres  of  diamonds  were  at  stake.  And  the  lawyers 
knew  no  better  either,  and  hence  they  fought  these  barren  battles  with 
such  zeal  and  skill  that  it  resulted  in  building  up  a  land  system  in  Penn- 
sylvania which,  when  understood,  is  perfectly  harmonious  in  all  its 
parts." 

These  "land  lawyers"  were  among  the  earliest  practitioners  in  the 
Perry  county  courts,  but  in  time  they  were  supplanted  b}'  men  of  a 
younger  generation,  equal  in  legal  learning  and  oratorical  aljility.  AA'ith 
the  knowledge  that  no  minerals  of  value  were  to  be  found  in  the  moun- 
tains, a  large  part  of  the  litigation  over  titles  and  surveys  ceased,  and 
the  younger  lawyers  came  to  occupy  more  prominent  positions  at  the 
bar. 

Following  are  the  lists  of  judges  and  district  attorneys  who  have 
presided  over  or  been  connected  with  the  courts  of  Perry  count}- : 

President  Judges — John  Reed,  18^0:  Samuel  Hepburn,  1839;  Fred- 
erick Watts,  1849;  James  H.  Graham,  1851  (two  ten-year  terms)  ;  Ben- 
jamin F.  Junkin,  1871 ;  Charles  A.  Barnett,  1881 ;  Jeremiah  Lyons,  1891 ; 
James  N.  ShuU,   1901 ;  \A'i!liam  N.  Seibert,   191 1. 

Associate  Judges — W.  B.  Anderson  and  Jeremiah  ]\Iadden,  1S20; 
John  Junkin,  1832  (served  for  nearly  twenty  years)  :  Robert  Elliott, 
1836;  James  Black,  1842;  G.  Blattenberger,  1844;  John  A.  Baker.  1849: 
John  Rice,  1851 ;  Jesse  Beaver,  1852:  George  Stroop,  1852;  J.  ^Martin 
Motzer,  1854;  John  Reifsnyder,  1856;  David  Shaver,  1859;  Philip 
Ebert,  1861;  Isaac  Lefevre,  1862;  Jacob  Sheibley,  1864:  John  A.  Baker,- 


HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA  VALLEY    ■  319 

1867;  George  Stroop,  1869;  John  A.  Baker,  1872;  John  Bear,  1874; 
Samuel  Noss,  1877;  WiUiam  Grier,  1879;  Wilham  Gladden,  1882; 
Joseph  B.  Garber,  1884:  Samuel  Woods,  1886;  Henry  Rhinesmith,  18S9; 
James  Everhart,  1891 ;  John  L.  Kline,  1894;  George  M.  Stroup.  1896; 
Isaac  Beam,  1899;  John  Fleisher,  1901 ;  Jacob  Johnston,  1904;  George 
Patterson,  1906;  Lucius  C.  Wox,  1909;  William  Bernheisel,  191 1. 

District  Attorneys — Benjamin  F.  Junkin,  1850;  Charles  T.  j\lc- 
Intire,  1853;  John  B,  JNIcAlister,  1856;  F.  Rush  Roddy,  1859;  Ephraim 
C.  Long,  1862;  Lewis  Pattee,  1866;  Benjamin  P.  ]McIntyre,  1869;  Jacob 
Bailey,  1872;  J.  C.  McAlister,  1875;  J.  C.  Wallace.  1878;  James  W. 
Shull,  1881;  Richard  H.  Stewart,  1884;  J.  C.  JMcAlister,  1887;  Lewis 
Potter,  1890:  Luke  Baker,  1S93;  W.  H.  Kell,  1896;  James  M.  Sharon, 
1899;  James  J\I.  AIcKee,  1902;  Walter  ^\'.  Rice,  1908  (reelected  in 
1911). 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  president  judges  of  Perr}-  and  Juniata 
counties  have  been  the  same  since  1835.  the  two  counties  having  been  in 
the  same  judicial  district  since  that  date. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  men  who  ever  occupied  a  seat  on  the 
supreme  bench  of  Penns}"lvania  was  born  in  Perry  county.  John  Ban- 
nister Gibson,  a  son  of  Colonel  George  Gibson,  who  served  in  the  Con- 
tinental army  during  the  Revolution  and  who  was  killed  at  the  time  of 
General  St.  Clair's  defeat  in  1791,  was  born  near  the  palisades  known 
as  "Gibson's  Rock,"  on  the  banks  of  Sherman's  creek,  in  the  year  1781. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  graduated  at  Dickinson  College,  after  which 
he  studied  law  and  was  admitted.  In  1810  he  was  a  member  of  the 
state  legislature.  On  June  27,  1816,  he  was  appointed  a  judge  of  the 
Pennsylvania  supreme  court  by  Governor  Snyder  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  death  of  Hugh  H.  Brackenridge,  whose  death  occurred 
the  day  before.  At  the  time  of  his  appointment  Judge  Gibson  was  presi- 
dent judge  of  the  district  including  Lycoming  county.  He  remained  on 
the  supreme  bench  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  May  3,  1853,  and 
for  a  considerable  portion  of  his  service  held  the  position  of  chief  jus- 
tice. It  has  been  said  that  his  opinions  "are  marvels  of  perspicuity,  sen- 
lentiousness,  and  accurate  diction,"  received  as  authority,  not  onlv  by 
the  courts  of  this  country,  but  also  those  of  Great  Britain. 

The  Huntingdon  County  Bar  Association  was  organized  on  Sep- 
tember 14,   1886,  with  thirty-four  charter  members  and  the  following 


320  HISTORY    OF   THE   JUXIATA   VALLEY 

officers:  President,  John  ^l.  Bailey;  vice-president,  T.  W.  !Myton; 
secretary,  H.  B.  Dunn ;  treasurer,  ^[.  ]\L  AlcXeil.  The  president  and 
secretary  of  the  association,  in  connection  with  E.  S.  AIcMurtrie,  George 
B.  Orlady,  P.  M.  Lytle,  J.  R.  Simpson,  and  D.  Caldwell,  constituted  a 
board  of  managers.  On  September  20,  1S86,  the  organization  was  con- 
firmed by  the  court  and  the  first  meeting  for  the  transaction  of  business 
was  on  the  nth  of  October.  During  the  twenty-seven  years  of  its  ex- 
istence the  association  has  built  up  a  fine  library,  raised  the  standard 
of  qualifications  for  admission  to  the  bar  of  the  county,  and  has  en- 
deavored to  cultivate  a  more  fraternal  spirit  among  lawyers.  In  19 13 
the  officers  were :  J.  R.  Simpson,  president :  R.  A.  Orbison,  vice-presi- 
dent ;  J.  S.  ^^'oods,  secretary ;  Chester  D.  Fetterhoof ,  treasurer.  The 
annual  meetings  of  the  society  are  held  on  the  third  Tuesday  of  January. 
In  Mifflin  county  the  members  of  the  bar  were  freciuently  called  to- 
gether to  discuss  measures  affecting  the  welfare  of  the  courts  and  the 
legal  profession,  but  no  regular  bar  association  was  organized  until 
]\Iay  21,  1 90 1.  At  a  subsequent  meeting  a  constitution  was  adopted,  to 
take  effect  on  August  i,  1902,  and  at  the  same  meeting  D.  \\'.  Woods 
was  elected  president;  T.  \[.  Uttley,  vice-president;  AI.  ]M.  McLaughlin, 
secretary ;  Rufus  C.  Elder,  treasurer.  Xo  change  has  been  made  in 
the  official  roster  since  the  organization  of  the  association,  except  that 
in  the  death  of  D.  \V.  Woods  the  association  was  left  without  a  presi- 
dent, and  since  that  time  T.  M.  L'ttley  has  discharged  the  duties  of  the 
office.  The  annual  meetings  of  the  association  are  held  on  the  fourth 
Monday  of  January.  In  1913  there  were  thirteen  members  in  good 
standing. 

THE     MEDICAL     PROFESSION' 

The  "Countr}-  Doctor"  has  been  eulogized  in  song  and  story,  and 
probably  no  man  in  a  new  country  is  more  deserving  of  eulogy.  Before 
roads  were  opened  through  the  trackless  forest  or  over  the  mountains 
of  the  Juniata  valley,  the  physician  was  in  the  frontier  settlements,  not 
so  much  for  the  hope  of  immediately  accumulating  wealth  as  to  aid  in 
developing  the  resources  of  the  region.  A^'ith  his  "pill-bags"  thrown 
across  his  saddle  he  frequently  rode  through  the  wild  woods  in  the  dark- 
est night  in  order  to  answer  the  call  of  the  afflicted,  often  knowing  that 
his  fee  would  be  slow  in  coming,  if  it  came  at  all.     ^lonev  was  scarce 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUXIATA   VALLEY  321 

and  the  doctor  often  accepted  in  payment  for  his  services  such  produce 
of  the  frontier  farm  as  the  pioneer  husbandman  could  offer.  In  this 
way  he  managed  to  obtain  food  for  himself  and  family  and  for  the 
faithful  horse  upon  which  he  must  depend  to  answer  the  calls  for  his 
professional  services.  Compared  with  the  modern  specialist  he  might 
be  considered  the  merest  tyro  in  the  science  of  medicine,  but  the  settlers 
knew  him  and  had  confidence  in  his  skill.  And  it  is  possible  that,  were 
the  eminent  specialist  compelled  to  practice  his  profession  under  the 
same  conditions,  the  country  doctor  might  prove  the  better  man.  His 
medicines  were  few  and  not  always  easily  obtained.  In  such  cases  he 
was  generally  resourceful  enough  to  accept  some  simple  "old  woman's 
remedy"  that  would  give  the  patient  relief  until  better  treatment  could  be 
brought  to  bear.  If  he  was  not  profoundly  learned  in  a  knowledge  of 
medicine,  he  knew  a  little  of  every  branch  of  the  subject,  and  what  he 
lacked  in  college  training  he  endeavored  to  supply  with  common  sense. 
Consecjuently  he  was  honored  and  respected  and  was  a  welcome  visitor 
to  the  frontier  homes  in  times  of  health  as  well  as  in  times  of  sickness, 
a  true  friend. 

In  one  of  the  old  histories  of  Huntingdon  county  mention  is  made 
of  a  Dr.  Smith,  who  was  in  the  Hartslog  valley  as  early  as  1767,  but 
little  can  be  learned  concerning  him  or  his  W(jrk.  Jonathan  Priestly, 
assessor,  in  his  return  of  the  property  in  what  is  now  the  borough  of 
Huntingdon,  gives  the  names  of  James  Nesbit  and  George  Wilson  as 
physicians.  Dr.  Jonathan  H.  Dorsey  was  another  early  physician  of 
Huntingdon.  He  married  ~\Iary.  daughter  of  Robert  Henderson  and 
a  granddaughter  of  Benjamin  Elliott,  the  first  sheriiif  of  the  county. 
John  Henderson  was  one  of  the  prominent  physicians  of  Huntingdon  at 
an  early  date  and  was  the  first  president  of  the  Union  Medical  Society, 
which  was  organized  in  1825.  A  Dr.  Loughran  located  at  Shirleysburg 
early  in  the  nineteenth  century,  but  remained  there  only  a  short  time. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  J.  G.  Lightner,  who  settled  there  in  1821. 
Other  pioneer  physicians  of  Huntingdon  county  were  Doctors  Moore, 
Eby,  Long,  Baird,  and  Flickinger.  A  little  later  came  Dr.  J.  A.  Shade, 
Dr.  Jesse  Wright,  Dr.  John  Gemmill,  Dr.  J.  H.  Wintrode,  and  Dr.  J.  R. 
Patton. 

Probably  the  first  physician  in  Mifflin  county  to  acquire  a  permanent 
residence  and  reputation  was  a  Dr.  Buck,  who  located  in  1794  where  the 


322  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUXIATA   \'ALLEY 

Coleman  House  now  stands  on  ^Market  street.  A  few  years  later  he 
removed  to  Perry  county,  and  Dr.  John  Creigh  took  his  place  in  Lewis- 
town.  Subsequently  he  removed  to  Landisburg,  where  he  practiced  his 
profession  until  a  short  time  before  his  death.  Dr.  William  \\'atson 
settled  in  Lewistown  about  the  same  time  as  Dr.  Creigh,  and  practiced 
there  until  1806,  when  he  went  to  Bedford.  Joseph  B.  Ard  began  prac- 
tice in  Lewistown  about  the  time  Dr.  W'atson  left  and  continued  there 
until  about  1850.  He  died  in  Philadelphia  in  1S61.  About  1810  Dr. 
Elijah  Davis  located  at  McVeytown  and  Doctors  Roswell  and  Southard 
Doty  settled  about  the  same  time  in  Lewistown.  Other  pioneer  doctors 
of  Mifflin  county  were  Joseph  Henderson,  who  located  at  Brown's  ]\Iills 
about  the  close  of  the  \\'ar  of  1812  ;  Edward  B.  Patterson,  at  Lewistown 
about  the  same  time;  John  Parshall,  James  M.  Connell,  Frank  Swartz, 
Lewis  Horning,  Samuel  Smith,  Alexander  Johnson,  Augustus  C.  Ehren- 
feld,  and  Thomas  Van  Valzah. 

Some  of  those  of  a  later  date  were:  Alexander  JNIcLeod,  Christian 
Swartz,  H.  C.  Wampler,  William  Jones,  James  Culbertson,  Charles 
Bower,  L.  G.  Snowden,  Samuel  ^laclay,  Benjamin  Berry,  and  George 
V.  JMitchell.  Of  these,  Dr.  Snowden  practiced  in  i\Ic\'eytown,  Dr. 
Berry  in  ]^Iilroy,  Dr.  Bower  in  Newton  Hamilton,  and  Dr.  Mitchell  in 
Belleville,  where  he  had  been  preceded  by  Doctors  Cook,  Westhoven, 
and  Bigelow. 

In  Juniata  county  the  first  physician  of  whom  there  is  any  authentic 
account  was  Dr.  Ezra  Doty,  who  settled  at  Mifflintown  about  1791. 
He  came  from  Connecticut  and  was  an  elder  brother  of  Roswell  and 
Southard  Doty,  who  practiced  in  Lewistown.  Dr.  John  Bryson,  a  son 
of  Judge  Samuel  Bryson,  studied  medicine  under  Dr.  Ezra  Doty  and 
commenced  practice  in  ]\Iifflintown  in  1807.  Five  years  later  he  went 
to  Pittsburgh,  where  he  continued  in  the  profession  until  his  death.  The 
Crawfords — David,  Samuel  B.,  E.  Darwin,  James  \^^  and  David  ■M. — 
were  among  the  most  noted  of  Juniata  county's  phj^sicians  during  the 
first  half  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Other  physicians  of  prominence 
during  the  same  period  were  James  Frow,  John  Harris,  Joseph  Kelly, 
JNIichael  Shellenberger,  John  Green,  Thomas  Whiteside,  J.  W.  Eeale, 
Philo  Hamlin,  W'illiam  Elder,  John  Irwin,  Henry  Harshbarger,  George 
I.  Cuddv,  J.  W.  Pearce,  and  Samuel  Floyd,  located  at  various  points  in 
the  county.     Among  the  homeopathic  physicians  of  this  county  may  be 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  323 

mentioned  Dr.  Rheinhold,  Dr.  Frederick  Long,  Dr.  William  Smith,  Dr. 
B.  F.  Book  and  Dr.  Lewis  P.  Willig. 

Perry  county's  pioneer  physician  was  probably  Dr.  Henry  Bucke, 
who  located  at  Millerstown  about  1S05,  or  perhaps  a  year  or  two  before 
that  time.  Dr.  Samuel  Mealy  succeeded  him  about  the  close  of  the  \Var 
of  1812.  Dr.  John  W.  Armstrong  was  engaged  in  practice  at  Duncan- 
non  as  early  as  18 18  and  remained  there  for  about  six  years,  when  he 
went  to  Liverpool,  being  the  first  physician  to  settle  in  that  place.  Some 
years  later  he  went  to  Bellefonte  and  finally  located  at  Princeton,  New 
Jersey,  where  he  died  in  1870.  He  was  a  grandson  of  that  Colonel 
John  Armstrong  who  led  the  expedition  against  the  Indians  at  Kittan- 
ning  in  1756,  later  served  as  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  and 
rose  to  the  rank  of  major-general  in  the  Continental  army.  At  the  bat- 
tle of  the  Brandywine  he  was  in  command  of  the  Pennsylvania  line, 
and  one  of  his  sons  Avas  an  aide-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  General  Gates. 

Dr.  Isaac  Snowden,  who  located  at  Millerstown  about  1826,  was  a 
son  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  R.  Snowden,  who  was  at  one  time  a  professor  in 
Dickinson  College,  at  Carlisle.  He  received  his  preparatory  education 
in  that  institution  and  graduated  in  medicine  at  the  Lhiiversity  of  Penn- 
s)'Ivania.  Shortly  after  receiving  his  degree  he  was  appointed  surgeon 
in  the  L'nited  States  army  and  was  with  General  Andrew  Jackson  in  the 
war  with  the  Seminole  Indians  in  Florida.  In  1823  he  retired  from  the 
army  and  after  practicing  a  short  time  in  Mifflin  county  and  at  Williams- 
port  settled  at  Millerstown.  Some  years  afterward  he  took  up  his 
residence  at  Hogestown,  Cumberland  county,  where  he  practiced  until 
his  death  in  June,  1850. 

Other  physicians  who  practiced  in  Perry  county  before  the  middle 
of  the  nineteenth  centur}'  were :  John  Irwin,  Samuel  Stites,  and  John 
M.  Laird,  at  Millerstown ;  James  H.  Case,  William  Cummin,  Thomas 
G.  Morris,  John  Wright,  and  Dr.  Fitzpatrick,  at  Liverpool ;  Joseph 
Speck,  Philip  Ebert.  and  A.  J.  W^erner,  at  Duncannon :  John  Creigh. 
John  Parshali,  James  T.  Oliver,  and  Samuel  A.  Moore,  at  Landisburg, 
Dr.  Isaac  Lefevre,  at  Loysville:  Lewis  Heck,  G.  W.  Graydon.  and  Dr. 
Rogers,  at  Marysville ;  Frederick  Klineyoung,  at  Shermansdale ;  Jonas 
Ickes,  Thomas  Simonton,  and  a  Dr.  Black,  at  Ickesburg;  Frederick 
Oberholzer  (also  a  Lutheran  minister),  at  New  Germantown:  John 
Eckert  and  Dr.   Ward,  in  Milford  township;  John  H.  Doling,  T.  L. 


324  ,  HISTORY    OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

Cathcart,  and  Dr.  Vanderslice,  at  New  Bloomfield.  Dr.  Jonas  Ickes 
was  the  first  physician  in  New  Bloomfield,  having  located  there  in  1825, 
soon  after  the  place  was  designated  as  the  county  seat.  Dr.  Joseph 
Speck  and  Dr.  John  ]\I.  Laird  also  practiced  for  a  time  in  New  Bloom- 
field. 

Dr.  Thomas  Van  Valzah,  mentioned  above  in  connection  with  the 
physicians  of  Mifflin  county,  was  born  in  Union  county,  December  27,, 
1793,  and  was  a  surgeon  in  the  army  during  the  War  of  1S12,  when 
only  twenty  years  of  age.  In  1818  he  graduated  at  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  and  began  practice  at  Lewisburg,  Union  county.  From 
1837  to  1842  he  practiced  at  Freeport,  Illinois,  then  returned  to  Penn- 
sylvania and  located  at  Lewistown,  where  he  followed  his  profession 
until  his  death  in  Alay,  1870,  having  been  engaged  in  active  practice  for 
nearly  sixty  years.  He  was  especially  skilled  as  a  surgeon  and  was  the 
third  man  to  perform  what  is  known  as  the  "high  operation"  for  lithot- 
omy. 

On  November  i,  1825,  a  number  of  physicians  from  Huntingdon, 
Mifflin  and  Center  counties  met  at  the  residence  of  Alexander  Ennis,  in 
Barree  township,  Huntingdon  county,  to  consider  the  c^uestion  of  or- 
ganizing a  medical  society.  The  meeting  lasted  two  days  and  on  the 
second  day  the  L'nion  Aledical  Society  was  organized  with  Dr.  John 
Henderson  as  president ;  Daniel  Dobbins  and  Joseph  B.  Ard,  vice-presi- 
dents ;  Constantius  Curtin,  corresponding  secretary ;  James  Coffey,  re- 
cording secretary ;  Jonathan  H.  Dorsey,  treasurer.  Physicians  in  good 
standing  in  the  profession  and  residents  of  either  of  the  three  counties 
were  eligible  for  membership  and  for  a  time  the  future  was  full  iif 
promise  for  this  first  association  of  physicians  in  the  Juniata  valley. 
The  second  meeting  of  the  society  was  held  at  Lewistown,  begirming  on 
November  6,  1826,  and  the  third  was  held  at  Huntingdon  in  November, 
1827.  At  the  Huntingdon  meeting  Dr.  Ezra  Doty,  of  Mifflintown,  was 
elected  president  of  the  society,  which  is  the  last  record  of  its  transac- 
tions. 

No  further  attempt  was  made  to  form  a  medical  society  among  the 
physicians  of  this  region  until  in  1845,  when  some  of  the  Mifflin  county 
doctors  got  together  and  organized  the  Alifflin  County  Medical  Society. 
Dr.  Joseph  B.  Ard,  who  had  been  one  of  the  first  vice-presidents  of  the 
Union  [Medical  Society  twenty  years  before,  was  elected  president;  Dr. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA  VALLEY  325 

Thomas  Van  Valzah  alid  Dr.  Joseph  Henderson,  vice-presidents;  Dr. 
T.  A.  W'orrall,  corresponding  secretary ;  Dr.  C.  Cameron,  recording 
secretary :  Dr.  James  Culbertson,  general  secretary,  and  seven  members 
in  addition  to  the  above  officers.  Six  members  were  added  at  the  next 
meeting,  after  which  the  society  seems  to  have  lapsed  into  a  state  of 
inactivity. 

A  medical  society  was  organized  in  Huntington  county  on  August 
14,  1849,  l^i-it  all  record  of  it  except  the  date  of  its  organization  has 
disappeared.  Not  even  the  oldest  physician  in  the  county  can  tell  who 
were  the  officers  or  what  the  society  accomplished.  The  present  Hunt- 
ingdon County  Medical  Society — termed  a  reorganization  of  the  former 
one — was  formed  on  April  9,  1872,  with  the  following  officers:  Dr. 
John  McCulloch,  president ;  Drs.  J.  A.  Shade  and  J.  H.  Wintrode,  first 
and  second  vice-presidents,  respectively :  Dr.  A.  B.  Brumbaugh,  secre- 
tary; Dr.  Henry  Orlady,  treasurer.  For  about  three  years  the  society 
prospered,  but  from  1876  to  1S80  very  little  interest  was  manifested 
in  its  work.  During  that  period  two  men— Dr.  D.  P.  Miller  and  Dr. 
A.  B.  Brumbaugh — deserve  great  credit  for  their  work  in  holding  the 
society  together  by  paying  the  state  dues,  etc.  About  1880  a  numljer 
of  new  members  came  in  and  since  that  time  the  society  has  been  active 
in  promoting  good  feeling  among  the  ph}-sicians  of  the  county  and 
stimulating  the  interest  in  their  professional  work.  Dr.  D.  P.  jNIiller, 
now  living  retired  in  Huntingdon,  is  the  only  physician  now  living 
who  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  society  in  1872,  though  Dr. 
G.  \\'.  C.  James,  of  Orbisonia,  retired,  is  the  oldest  living  physician 
in  the  county  and  is  an  honorary  meml.ier  of  the  society.  Membership 
in  this  society  includes  membership  in  the  Medical  Society  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  subscription  to  the  Pennsylvania  Medical  Journal.  Stated 
meetings  are  held  on  the  second  Thursday  of  each  month.  The  officers 
for  1913  were:  Dr.  F.  L.  Schum,  president:  Dr.  J.  M.  Steel,  vice- 
president:  Dr.  J.  M.  Beck,  secretary:  Dr.  G.  G.  Harman,  treasurer; 
Dr.  J.  'SI.  Keichline,  Jr.,  reporter:  Drs.  W.  J.  Campbell,  R.  H.  Moore 
and  R.  ]\I}-ers,  censors.  The  membership  reported  in  1913  was  thirty- 
eight. 

The  present  Mifflin  County  IMedical  Society  was  organized  on  i\Iarch 
4,  1874,  at  the  office  of  Dr.  Charles  S.  Hurllnit,  in  Lewistown,  with  nine 
members.     Officers   elected   at   that   meeting   were :     Abraham   Harsh- 


326  .  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

berger,  president ;  T.  H.  Van  \^alzah,  vice-president ;  George  V.  Mitchell, 
secretary:  Abraham  Rothrock,  treasurer.  For  some  time  the  society 
held  meetings  quarterly,  but  in  recent  years  the  meetings  have  been 
held  on  the  first  Thursday  of  each  month,  at  such  hour  and  place  as 
may  be  designated  by  the  president.  Annual  dues  are  three  dollars, 
vi'hich  includes  the  Pennsylvania  Medical  Journal.  In  1913  there  were 
thirty-two  members  in  good  standing  and  the  following  were  then  the 
officers  of  the  society:  C.  H.  Brisbin,  president:  T.  H.  Smith,  first 
vice-president:  C.  J.  Stambaugh,  second  vice-president:  J.  A.  C.  Clark- 
son,  secretary:  A.  S.  Harshberger,  treasurer:  F.  A.  Rupp,  reporter: 
S.  W.  Swigart,  W.  H.  Parcels  and  V.  I.  McKim,  censors. 

Juniata  county  has  the  youngest  and  smallest  medical  society  of  any 
of  the  four  valley  counties.  It  was  organized  in  1907,  and  in  1913 
numbered  eleven  members,  with  the  following  officers :  W.  H.  Banks, 
of  Miftlintown,  president :  Herman  F.  Willard,  of  [Mexico,  first  vice- 
president:  William  H.  Haines,  of  Thompsontown,  second  vice-president; 
Brady  F.  Long,  of  ]MifiIintown,  secretary :  Isaac  G.  Headings,  of  Mc- 
Alisterville,  treasurer.  The  fact  that  this  county  society  has  been 
organized  only  six  years  and  numbers  but  eleven  members  is  no  reflec- 
tion upon  the  character  of  the  Juniata  county  physicians,  most  of  whom 
have  as  high  professional  standing  as  those  of  other  counties.  [Member- 
ship in  this  society  carries  with  it  the  same  advantages,  in  the  way  of 
affiliation  with  the  State  Medical  Society  and  subscription  to  the  Pennsyl- 
vania [Medical  Journal,  as  in  other  county  organizations. 

The  Perry  County  [Medical  Society  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  state. 
On  November  19,  1847,  eight  physicians  met  at  ]\Iillerstown,  as  the 
result  of  an  understanding  with  most  of  the  practicing  physicians  of 
the  county,  and  organized  by  electing  James  H.  Case,  of  Liverpool, 
president:  A.  C.  Stees,  of  Millerstown.  vice-president:  B.  F.  Grosh, 
of  Andersonburg,  and  T.  Stilwell,  of  [Millerstown,  secretaries :  and  Dr. 
J.  E.  Singer,  of  Newport,  treasurer.  In  the  constitution  adopted  at 
that  time  the  official  name  of  the  society  was  given  as  "The  [Medical 
Society  of  Perry  County,"'  and  the  object  defined  to  be  "the  advance- 
ment of  medical  knowledge,  the  elevation  of  professional  character,  the 
protection  of  the  interests  of  its  members,  and  the  promotion  of  all 
means  to  relieve  suffering,  to  improve  the  public  health  and  protect  the 
life  of  the  community."     The  constitution  was  approved  by  the  State 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUXIATA   VALLEY   .  327 

^ledical  Society  and  since  then  official  relations  have  been  maintained 
Avith  both  the  state  organization  and  the  American  Medical  Association. 
At  one  time  the  membership  numl^ered  seventy,  but  in  1913  there  were 
but  seventeen  reported  in  good  standing.  The  officers  for  1913  were: 
E.  Kenneth  Wolff,  Ickesburg,  president ;  William  T.  ]\Iorrow,  Loysville, 
first  vice-president;  Benjamin  F.  Beale,  second  vice-president;  A.  R. 
Johnson,  New  Bloomfield,  secretary;  W.  Homer  Hoopes,  treasurer. 

As  a  rule,  the  physicians  along  the  Blue  Juniata  have  been,  and  those 
of  the  present  generation  are,  men  of  public  spirit  and  progressive  ideas 
outside  of  their  profession.  They  have  taken  a  commendable  interest 
in  every  movement  for  the  general  welfare ;  have  been  associated  with 
the  organization  of  agricultural  societies,  banks,  etc. ;  most  of  them 
have  been  affiliated  with  the  leading  fraternal  orders  and  the  church 
work  of  the  valley,  and  in  other  ways  have  used  their  rights  of  citizen- 
ship to  promote  the  interests  of  their  fellow-men. 


CHAPTER  XVn 
EDUCATIONAL   DE\"ELOPMENT 

Character  of  the  Early  Schools — The  Pioneer  School  House — Itinerant  Teachers — 
Ideas  of  Discipline — The  Pauper  School  Law — Private  Academies — School  for 
Soldiers'  Orphans — Juniata  Vallej-  Normal — Free  School  System  Inaugurated — 
Sources  of  Revenue — School  Statistics — ^Juniata  College — Apprentices'  Literar>-  So- 
ciet}-  of  Lewistown — Lewistown  Librar>- — The  Press — Early  Newspapers — Alexan- 
der K.  McCIure — Present  Day  Papers — Perry  Count}'  Historical  Society. 

OXE  of  the  early  needs  of  the  pioneers  who  settled  in  the  Juniata 
valley  was  some  means  of  educating  their  children.  !Many  of 
the  parents  had  only  limited  education  and  the  constant  de- 
mands of  frontier  life  made  effective  teaching  in  the  home  circle  an 
impossibilit}'.  The  settlers  had  no  public  school  fund,  there  were  no 
school  houses  equipped  with  libraries  and  other  aids  as  in  the  present 
day.  well  qualified  teachers  were  exceedingly  scarce,  roving  bands  of 
Indians  were  not  infrequent  visitors  to  the  settlements,  and  j^et,  in 
spite  of  all  these  conditions,  the  people  made  honest  and  sincere  efforts 
to  give  their  children  sufficient  schooling  to  help  them  along  over  "the 
thorny  road  of  life."'  The  first  schools  were  taught  in  abandoned 
cabins  or  rooms  of  dwellings  given  up  for  the  purpose  and  were  often 
secured  and  fitted  up  by  the  teacher  when  he  secured  his  subscribers. 
Sometimes  the  resident  minister,  if  there  was  one  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, acted  as  teacher,  but  more  frequently  the  "school-master"  was 
some  itinerant  Irishman,  who  paused  in  the  settlement  long  enough  to 
teach  school  for  a  "quarter"  in  order  to  raise  the  means  for  continuing 
his  journey. 

As  the  population  increased,  buildings  were  erected  by  the  coopera- 
tion of  the  settlers  in  a  given  neighborhood  and  set  apart  as  school 
houses,  though  religious  services  Avere  often  held  in  them  on  days  when 
there  was  no  school  in  session.  These  early  school  houses  were  crude 
afifairs,  built  of  logs,  with  a  clapboard  roof  and  often  no  floor  but  the 
mother  earth.     On  each  side  of  the  house  one  log  would  be  left  out 

328 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  329 

and  the  space  covered  with  oiled  paper  to  exclude  the  cold  and  admit 
the  light,  window  glass  being  in  that  day  too  expensive  a  luxury  to 
provide  glass  windows  for  school  houses  that  were  used  for  only  a 
short  season  in  each  year.  To  provide  seats  for  the  scholars  small  logs 
would  be  split  in  halves,  the  inner  surface  smoothed  with  the  "draw- 
knife,"  the  half  sapling  would  tlien  be  supported  on  pins  driven  into 
auger  holes  bored  at  the  proper  angle  to  hold  the  seat  stead}-.  At  one 
end  of  the  school  room  was  a  huge  fireplace,  capable  of  taking  in  sticks 
of  wood  four  or  five  feet  in  length.  On  cold  days  the  scholars  sitting- 
near  the  fire  would  become  too  hot,  while  those  in  the  rear  of  the  room 
would  be  suffering  with  cold.  To  alleviate  this  condition  constant 
changes  would  be  made.  A  pupil  would  receive  permission  to  go  to 
the  fire,  and  as  soon  as  he  became  "warm  through"  he  would  return 
to  a  seat  in  the  rear  and  another  would  take  his  place. 

The  branches  taught  were  spelling,  reading,  writing  and  arithmetic. 
Steel  pens  had  not  yet  come  into  general  use  and  one  of  the  Cjualifica- 
tions  of  the  teacher  was  to  be  able  to  make  a  pen  out  of  a  quill.  Ink 
was  frequently  made  at  home  by  boiling  the  bark  of  the  maple  tree 
until  the  strength  was  extracted  and  then  adding  to  the  decoction  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  copperas  to  give  the  desired  color.  Copy-books 
were  usually  of  home-made  construction — a  few  sheets  of  foolscap  paper 
covered  with  a  sheet  of  heavy  wrapping  paper  and  sewed  together.  At 
the  head  of  the  page  the  teacher  would  write  a  line  and  the  scholar 
would  then  fill  the  page,  endeavoring  to  imitate  in  all  its  details  the 
handwriting  of  the  teacher.  The  next  teacher  might  have  an  entirely 
different  style  of  chirography  and  the  pupil  would  have  to  unlearn  much 
that  he  had  learned  in  order  to  copy  the  new  master's  writing.  Black- 
boards were  practically  unknown,  the  scholars  doing  their  "sums"  on 
slates.  Even  the  slate  pencils  of  commerce  were  rare,  and  it  was  no 
unusual  sight  to  see  a  group  of  school-boys  searching  through  a  bank 
of  slate  or  soap-stone  for  a  piece  soft  enough  for  a  pencil  that  would 
not  "scratch." 

W^ith  both  teacher  and  patrons  the  idea  seemed  to  prevail  that  if 
the  rod  was  spared  the  child  would  be  spoiled.  Consequently  the  dis- 
cipline in  those  early  schools  was  of  the  most  despotic  character,  the 
slightest  offense  on  the  part  of  the  pupil  being  punished  by  a  whipping. 
And  yet,  notwithstanding  all  these  drawbacks,  some  of  the  great  men 


330  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUMATA   VALLEY 

of  the  country  received  their  early  training  in  these  rude  and  imperfect 
schools. 

One  of  the  first  laws  passed  by  the  Pennsylvania  legislature  for 
the  promotion  of  education  was  that  of  1808,  providing  for  the  educa- 
tion of  poor  children  at  the  expense  of  the  county.  \Maile  the  intentions 
of  the  legislators  were  good,  and  the  law  was  meant  to  prove  of  great 
benefit  to  the  commonwealth  by  giving  the  children  of  the  most  indigent 
citizens  an  opportunity  to  qualify  themselves  for  the  duties  of  citizen- 
ship, all  who  accepted  its  benefits  were  stigmatized  as  paupers  and  the 
law  finally  became  known  as  the  "Pauper  School  Law." 

Henry  Beeson,  who  represented  Fayette  county  in  the  legislature 
of  1825,  introduced  a  bill  providing  for  a  system  of  free  schools,  but 
it  failed  to  pass.  It  was  widely  discussed,  however,  both  by  the  press 
and  the  public,  and  it  contained  the  germ  that  nine  years  later  developed 
into  the  free  school  system  of  Pennsylvania. 

In  the  meantime  the  people,  desirous  of  obtaining  better  educational 
facilities  than  were  afforded  by  the  low  grade  subscription  schools, 
became  interested  in  the  establishment  of  academies.  The  oldest  institu- 
tion of  this  character  in  the  Juniata  valley  was  the  Lewistown  Academy, 
which  was  chartered  by  the  act  of  ]\Iarch  11,  1815,  for  the  purpose 
of  educating  the  youth  "in  the  useful  arts,  sciences  and  literature,"  and 
the  act  provided  that  five  poor  children  were  to  be  admitted  to  the 
school  free  for  a  term  not  to  exceed  two  years.  The  first  board  of 
trustees  was  named  in  the  act,  and  the  first  election  of  trustees  was 
held  on  the  first  Alonday  of  April,  18 16.  For  several  years  the  school 
was  taught  in  rented  quarters,  wherever  suitable  rooms  could  be  ob- 
tained, but  the  act  of  April  10,  1826,  authorized  the  trustees  to  erect 
an  academy  building  "in  or  near  Lewistown."  A  lot  was  secured  on 
Third  street,  near  Brown,  and  the  first  term  of  school  in  the  new 
structure  was  opened  in  the  fall  of  1828.  About  twenty  years  ago 
the  old  building  was  taken  down  and  the  Presbyterian  Sunday  school 
chapel  now  occupies  the  site. 

The  Huntingdon  Academy  was  incorporated  by  act  of  the  legislature 
on  ^March  19,  18 16.  the  state  giving  $2,000  to  the  institution.  It  con- 
tinued to  receive  aid  from  the  state  for  a  number  of  years.  The 
trustees  purchased  the  Dean  Hotel  property  at  the  southeast  corner  of 
Second  and   Allegheny   streets,   where   the   school    was   conducted    for 


HISTORY    OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  331 

many  years.  Two  lots  were  then  purchased  on  the  northeast  corner 
of  Fourth  and  Church  streets  and  a  building  erected  thereon  in  1844. 
A  larger  and  better  appointed  Ijuilding  was  erected  in  1874,  but  after 
the  establishment  of  the  high  school  the  attendance  at  the  academy 
declined  and  the  property  was  sold,  the  building  being  converted  into 
an  apartment  for  residences. 

In  1837  the  legislature  granted  a  charter  to  the  Tuscarora  Academy, 
in  Juniata  county.  Two  years  before  that  Rev.  ]\IcKnight  Williamson 
had  opened  a  school,  in  which  he  taught  the  higher  branches,  and  in 
1837  his  class  numbered  about  fifteen  students.  His  work  stimulated 
the  interest  in  education  and  led  to  the  establishment  of  the  academy, 
which  was  opened  in  1839,  with  David  Wilson  as  principal.  For  many 
years  the  institution  prospered,  but  the  improvement  in  the  public  schools 
from  year  to  year  made  such  inroads  upon  the  attendance  that  it  sank 
to  a  position  of  minor  importance  in  the  educational  field.  The  lauild- 
ing  is  now  used  for  the  Beale  township  high  school. 

Robert  Finley  came  from  Connecticut  to  New  Bloomfield  in  1S37 
and  opened  a  Latin  school  in  a  room  of  Jonas  Ickes'  tavern,  his  first 
class  numbering  six  members.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  secured  the 
indorsement  of  several  of  the  leading  citizens  and  advertised  a  high 
school,  to  open  on  '"the  first  Wednesday  of  February  next."  The  school 
opened  at  the  appointed  time  in  a  building  known  as  the  "Barracks," 
and  the  same  winter  a  petition  was  presented  to  the  legislature  asking 
for  a  charter  for  the  New  Bloomfield  Academy.  Accordingly,  on  April 
13,  1838,  an  act  was  passed  incorporating  the  institution,  naming  the 
first  board  of  trustees  and  authorizing  the  state  treasurer  to  pay  to  the 
board  of  trustees  $2,000,  "to  be  used  toward  the  erection  of  suitable 
buildings  and  purchasing  a  necessary  library,  mathematical,  geographical 
or  philosophical  apparatus  for  the  use  of  the  academy,  on  condition  that 
$1,000  have  been  contributed  for  the  purpose  or  purposes  named." 

The  first  term  opened  on  May  21,  1838,  with  Robert  Finley  as 
principal.  After  some  disagreement  as  to  the  location,  the  academy  was 
finally  placed  at  the  north  end  of  Carlisle  street,  where  four  acres  of 
ground  were  purchased  from  George  Barnett.  On  March  i,  1839,  the 
board  advertised  for  proposals  for  the  erection  of  a  "house  of  brick 
or  stone,  to  be  thirty  feet  by  sixty  feet  from  out  to  out  and  twenty-three 
feet  high  frcmi  top  of  foundation,  to  have  a  cupola  and  also  a  portico 


332  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUXIATA   VALLEY 

or  vestibule  in  front  of  steps."  This  building  was  completed  and 
occupied  in  1840.  In  response  to  a  petition,  the  legislature  passed  an 
act  on  April  4,  1852,  directing  the  trustees  to  sell  the  school  to  the 
county,  and  the  following  December  the  property  was  conveyed  to  the 
county  commissioners.  Trouble  arose  over  a  legacy  of  $400  left  the 
institution  by  Fenlow  jMcCown  and  the  recommendation  of  the  grand 
jury  that  a  new  building  be  erected  for  the  better  accommodation  of 
the  pupils,  the  commissioners  refusing  to  erect  the  building  or  allow 
others  to  build  on  the  grounds.  By  the  act  of  April  3,  1855,  the 
academy  was  ordered  to  be  sold.  In  April.  1856,  it  was  purchased  by 
Rev.  John  B.  Straw  and  R.  G.  Stephens,  with  a  conditiim  that  the 
property  should  always  be  used  for  a  high  and  normal  school.  In  19 12 
the  academy  was  in  charge  of  D.  C.  W'illard  as  principal,  assisted  by 
a  corps  of  competent  instructors  in  the  various  branches. 

A  Bovs'  Academy  and  a  Female  Seminary  were  established  at 
Shirlevsburg  at  an  early  date  and  for  a  number  of  years  each  received 
a  generous  patronage,  due  in  a  great  measure  to  the  fact  that  the  penple 
of  Shirley  township  were  opposed  to  the  introduction  of  the  free  school 
system.  After  all  the  other  townships  in  Huntingdon  county  had 
accepted  the  common  schools  and  provided  for  their  support  according 
to  law.  Shirley  came  into  the  fold  and  commenced  the  work  of  estalilish- 
ing  free  schools.  As  the  patronage  of  the  public  schools  increased 
that  of  the  private  institutions  declined,  and  the  academy  and  seminary 
at  Shirleysburg  finally  passed  out  of  existence. 

JMilnwood  Academy,  located  at  Shade  Gap,  Huntingdon  county,  was 
founded  in  1849  '^y  f^^*^'-  J-  '^^^  ^IcGinnes,  the  Presbyterian  minister 
at  that  place.  It  soon  became  a  popular  school  and  enjoyed  a  prosperous 
career  for  about  a  quarter  of  a  century.     It  was  abandoned  about  1871. 

Mountain  Seminary  was  incorporated  in  185 1  and  buildings  were 
erected  by  a  stock  company.  Rev.  Israel  Ward  was  the  first  principal. 
Financial  difficulties  arose  and  in  1855  the  property  was  sold  at  sheriff's 
sale.  About  two  years  later  the  property  was  purchased  by  Prof.  L.  G. 
Grier  and  the  school  was  reopened.  Associated  with  Professor  Grier 
-,vas  Miss  N.  J.  Davis,  a  graduate  of  the  noted  school  at  Mount  Holyoke, 
Massachusetts,  and  the  new  management  soon  had  the  school  (in  the 
highway  to  prosperity.  Xew  buildings  were  erected,  steam  heat  pro- 
vided, a   green  house  built  on  the  premises,   etc.      This   institution   is 


HISTORY   OF   THE  JUNIATA   VALLEY  ^^t, 

located  at  Birmingham,  Huntingdon  county,  and  is  a  popular  finishing 
school  for  young  ladies. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  (1851)  the  Cassville  Seminary  was 
founded  by  Rev.  Zane  Bland,  George  W.  Speer  and  David  Clarkson, 
who  secured  subscriptions  to  the  fund  and  an  association  of  stock- 
holders was  formed  late  in  the  year.  The  following  3-ear  buildings 
were  erected  and  the  school  started  off  with  flattering  prospects.  The 
school  was  under  the  supervision  of  the  ]\Iethodist  church  and  a  term 
was  taught  in  the  church  building  while  the  seminary  buildings  were 
under  construction.  At  one  time  the  attendance  numbered  about  125 
students.  Then  came  a  decline,  due  to  various  causes,  and  about  the 
beginning  of  the  Civil  War  the  school  was  closed. 

Airy  View  Academy  was  opened  at  Port  Royal  in  the  fall  of  1S52 
by  David  Wilson  and  David  Laughlin.  The  latter  was  the  first  county 
superintendent  of  the  Juniata  county  public  schools.  This  school  con- 
tinued as  a  priyate  institution  until  about  1908,  when  it  was  turned  over 
to  the  Port  Royal  school  board  and  is  now  the  borough  high  school. 

An  academy  was  established  at  ]\IcAlisterville  in  1855  and  a  three- 
story  brick  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $3,000.  Rev. 
Philander  Camp,  Presbyterian  minister,  was  the  first  principal.  George 
F.  McFarland  purchased  the  property  from  the  stockholders  in  185S, 
enlarged  the  building,  employed  some  good  teachers  and  conducted  the 
school  until  1862,  when  he  and  several  of  his  students  and  teachers 
organized  a  military  company,  which  was  assigned  to  the  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty-first  Pennsylvania  Regiment,  of  which  Professor  McFarland 
was  made  lieutenant-colonel.  He  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  reopened  the  academy  as  a  school  for 
soldiers'  orphans.  It  was  one  of  the  three  schools  that  visited  the 
legislature  in  JNIarch,  1866,  and  influenced  the  members  of  the  assembly 
to  abandon  the  pauper  bill  and  to  continue  the  appropriations  for  the 
support  of  the  free  schools.  The  students  also  took  part  in  the  cere- 
monv  connected  with  the  reception  of  the  laattle-flags  at  Philadelphia 
on  July  4,  1866.  A  new  building  was  erected  that  year.  On  January 
I,  1876,  the  control  of  the  school  passed  to  Jacob  Smith,  who  had  been 
its  steward  for  a  number  of  years.  Then  came  various  changes  in  the 
management  until  about  1908.  when  it  passed  under  the  control  of  the 
Fayette  township  school  board   for  the  centralization  of   some  of  the 


334  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUXIATA   ^■ALLEY 

district  schools  and  also  a  township  high  school.  Four  teachers  are  now- 
employed  in  the  building. 

In  the  spring  of  1855  "^^'ashington  Academy"  was  opened  in  the 
old  school  house  on  the  hill  at  ]MarkelsvilIe,  with  Rev.  A.  R.  Height 
as  principal.  George  Alarkel  erected  a  two-story  frame  house  for  the 
school  in  1867.  Mr.  Alarkel  was  the  most  generous  supporter  of  the 
school  and  after  his  death  it  was  discontinued,  the  building  being  con- 
verted into  dwellings. 

Rev.  T.  B.  Bucher  opened  a  school  on  April  8,  1856,  in  the  base- 
ment of  the  Reformed  church  at  Landisburg  and  gave  it  the  name  of 
"JMount  Dempsey  Academy."  It  continued  in  operation  under  various 
principals  until  in  1864,  when  it  was  closed  permanently. 

The  Juniata  \'alley  Normal  School  was  opened  at  Newport  on  April 
8,  1867,  under  the  principalship  of  Silas  \\'right.  who  became  the 
principal  of  the  Soldiers'  Orphans  School  the  following  year,  and  the 
normal  passed  out  of  existence.  Other  private  schools  were  the 
"Susquehanna  Institute,"  conducted  for  some  time  by  Professor  Bartlett 
and  Rev.  \\".  B.  Craig  in  the  basement  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church 
at  Duncannon;  "Sherman's  ^'alle^•  Institute,"  at  Andersonburg,  and  the 
"Charity  School."  in  ^Madison  township.  Perry  county. 

Pennsylvania's  public  school  system  was  inaugurated  under  the  pro- 
visions of  an  act  of  the  legislature,  approved  by  Governor  \\'olfe  on 
April  I.  1834.  In  the  establishment  of  the  free  schools  the  state  had 
no  land  grant  of  one  section  or  two  sections  in  each  Congressional  town- 
ship, as  did  the  states  that  were  admitted  into  the  Union  after  the 
formation  of  the  Federal  government.  All  her  revenues  for  educational 
purposes  have  to  be  raised  by  local  taxation  and  appropriations  from 
the  state  to  the  several  counties  in  proportion  to  the  school  population. 
According  to  the  report  of  the  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction 
for  the  vear  191 1.  the  total  receipts  of  the  four  counties  in  the  Juniata 
valley  were  as  follows : 

From  State 

Local  Taxes  Appropriation 

Huntingdon    §104.324.43  $51,784.68 

Mifflin     77.452.97  34.279.10 

Juniata    38.522.81  24.467.15 

Perry  54.349.01  33.669.20 

Total    $274,649.22  $144,200.13 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA  VALLEY 


335 


The  grand  total  from  all  sources  was  $418,849-35,  of  which 
$264,508.64  was  expended  for  teachers'  salaries  and  the  remainder  for 
the   erection   and    repair   of   buildings,    fuel,    text-books,    supplies,    etc. 


Further  statistical  information 
following  table : 


regarding 


the  schools  is  shown  by  the 


Number 
of 

Schools 

Huntingdon   262 

Mifflin    154 

Juniata    Ill 

Perry    187 

Total    714 


Number 

of 
Teachers 

278 

165 

112 

189 

744 


Number 
of 

Scholars 
8,855 
6,142 
3,449 
5,155 

23,601 


Value  of 

School 

Property 

$311,140 

303,600 

121.915 

189,100 

$925,755 


Since  the  report  from  which  the  above  figures  are  taken  was  pub- 
lished several  new  buildings  have  been  erected,  so  that  the  approximate 
value  of  school  property  in  the  four  counties  in  1913  is  not  far  from 
$1,000,000.  In  the  chapters  relating  to  Township  History  will  be  found 
information  concerning  the  early  schools  and  the  pioneer  teachers  in 
the  different  counties. 

Juniata  College,  the  only  institution  devoted  to  higher  education  in 
the  Juniata  Valley,  was  opened  on  April  17,  1876,  in  a  small  room  on 
\\'ashington  street,  West  Huntingdon,  with  Jacob  M.  Zuck  as  principal 
and  three  students  in  attendance.  Several  efforts  had  been  made  previous 
to  that  time  to  revive  the  educational  interests  of  the  members  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  (Dunkers),  and  the  purpose  of  the  school  was 
to  provide  a  place  where  the  children  of  Dunker  parents  "might  receive 
the  benefits  of  an  education  distinguished  by  moral  and  religious  prin- 
ciples as  well  as  by  good  scholarship,"  though  from  the  beginning  the 
institution  has  been  open  to  the  members  of  every,  or  even  no  religious 
denomination.  When  the  first  catalogue  was  issued,  in  the  spring  of 
1878,  the  faculty  consisted  of  seven  instructors  and  172  students  were 
enrolled. 

Professor  Zuck's  death  occurred  on  May  10,  1879,  and  the  name 
of  "Brethren's  Xormal  College"  was  then  adopted.  The  second  cata- 
logue bears  the  names  of  James  Ouinter  as  president  and  Prof.  J.  H. 
Brumbaugh  as  principal,  and  the  faculty  had  been  enlarged  by  the 
addition  of  two   new   instructors.      "Founders'    Hall"   was   erected   in 


336  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUMATA   VALLEY 

1878-79,  intended  to  meet  all  the  needs  of  a  boarding  school,  but  the 
growth  of  the  college  has  necessitated  changes  in  the  original  plans 
and  the  building  is  now  the  Administration  Building,  containing  the 
chapel,  the  offices  of  the  president  and  treasurer,  and  two  recitation 
rooms.  "Ladies'  Hall"  was  built  in  1890  and  contains  most  of  the 
dormitories  for  the  female  students.  "Students'  Hall"  was  erected  in 
1895  and  for  a  time  the  library  occupied  one-half  the  building,  the  re- 
mainder Ijeing  given  up  to  class  rooms  and  laboratories.  It  is  now 
used  as  a  reading  room,  a  biological  laboratory,  six  class  rooms,  with 
the  chemical  laboratory  in  the  basement  and  dormitories  for  young 
men  on  the  third  floor.  "Oneida  Hall"  was  completed  in  the  spring 
of  1898.  It  contains  the  kitchen  and  pantries  in  the  basement,  the 
dining  room  on  the  first  floor,  and  the  second  and  third  floors  are  fitted 
up  as  dormitories  for  girls.  The  athletic  field  was  laid  out  in  1899 
and  the  gymnasium  was  built  in  1901.  The  new  library,  for  the  erec- 
tion of  which  Andrew  Carnegie  donated  about  $15,000,  was  dedicated 
on  April  17,  1907.     The  library  contains  about  30,000  volumes. 

The  first  charter  of  the  school  was  received  on  November  18,  1878, 
and  by  an  amended  charter,  received  on  September  14,  1S96,  the  in- 
stitution took  the  name  of  Juniata  College.  The  institution  comprises 
six  departments,  viz.:  i.  The  College;  2.  The  Academy  of  College 
Preparatory;  3.  The  School  of  Education,  a  normal  English  course 
of  four  years;  4.  The  Bible  School;  5.  The  School  of  Music;  6.  The 
Business  School.  In  1912  the  catalogue  shows  a  faculty  of  twenty-nine 
members  and  an  enrolment  in  all  departments  of  419  students.  The 
campus  of  nine  acres  is  beautifully  situated  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
borough  of  Huntingdon,  with  which  it  is  connected  by  a  street  railway. 
From  the  start  the  growth  of  Juniata  College  has  been  steady  and 
substantial,  and  its  future  is  one  of  promise. 

An  attempt  was  made  in  the  winter  of  1800-01  to  organize  a  library 
association  in  Lewistown  and  several  shares  were  subscribed  for  that 
purpose.  A  meeting  was  called  at  Edward  Williams'  tavern  for  Feb- 
ruary 7,  1801,  to  organize  the  association,  but  if  the  organization  was 
effected  nothing  can  be  learned  of  what  it  accomplished  or  when  it  went 
down.  On  January  7,  1870,  a  charter  was  granted  to  the  Lewistown 
Librar}'  Association  and  an  organization  was  effected  immediately  after- 
ward.    One  thousand  dollars  were  subscribed  and  invested  in  the  pur- 


HISTORY    OF   THE   JUXIATA   VALLEY  337 

chase  of  books.  The  Hbrary  was  opened  in  the  Bohner  building,  on 
East  Alarket  street,  near  Dorcas,  and  after  several  removals  to  different 
locations  a  permanent  home  was  found  in  the  Apprentices'  Literary 
Society  building  on  Third  street,  where  it  is  still  located.  \\'illiam  R. 
!McKee  was  the  first  librarian  and  the  present  incumbent  of  that  position 
is  Aliss  Kate  Swan.  The  association  has  a  perpetual  lease  upon  the 
quarters  occupied  l)y  the  library. 

The  Apprentices"  Literary  Society,  mentioned  in  the  preceding  para- 
graph, was  organized  on  July  4,  1842,  in  the  court-house,  with  five 
members,  Henry  J.  Walters  as  president  and  Isaac  W.  Wiley  as  secre- 
tary. The  object  of  the  society  was  the  improvement  of  the  young  men 
of  Lewistown.  At  one  time  it  numbered  about  forty  active  members, 
but  in  recent  years  the  number  has  declined  and  active  work  has  been 
discontinued  since  the  building  on  Third  street  was  leased  to  the  Library 
Association.  A  few  of  the  members  still  hold  meetings  in  the  building, 
the  lease  giving  them  that  privilege,  but  al^out  all  the  business  that  is 
ever  transacted  is  the  election  of  officers,  and  this  is  done  merely  for 
the  purpose  of  complying  with  the  terms  of  the  charter  and  to  hold 
the  corporate  power  granted  to  the  society. 

As  a  factor  in  education  the  press  has  played  an  important  part  in 
the  dissemination  of  general  information.  The  first  newspaper  in  the 
Juniata  Valley  was  started  at  ]\IiflIintown  in  1794  and  published  about 
a  year  by  Alichael  Duffy,  but  the  name  of  the  paper  has  been  lost.  The 
Mifflin  Gazette,  of  which  little  accurate  information  can  be  gleaned, 
began  its  career  at  Lewistown  in  1796.  According  to  an  entry  in  the 
commissioners  records  for  May  18,  1796,  Joseph  Charles,  the  publisher 
of  the  paper,  was  allowed  a  bill  for  "advertising  the  sale  of  unseated 
lands  and  the  proposals  for  the  building  of  the  court-house."  On  July 
4,  1797,  ]\Iichael  Duffy  issued  the  first  numl:)er  of  the  Huntingdon 
Courier  and  Weekly  Advertiser  from  the  office  at  the  corner  of 
Allegheny  street  and  the  public  scjuare.  It  suspended  in  February,  1798, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1799  John  R.  Parrington  began  the  publication  of 
the  Guardian  of  Liberty  and  Huntingdon  Chronicle,  which  lived  but  a 
short  time. 

Edward  Cole  and  John  Doyle  commenced  the  publication  of  the 
Western  Star  at  Lewistown  on  November  26,  1800.  Doyle  retired  in 
January,    1801,   and   Cole   continued   the   paper   for  about    four  years, 


338  HISTORY   OF   THE  JUNIATA   \^ ALLEY 

when  the  office  of  publication  was  destroyed,  but  for  what  reason 
cannot  now  be  ascertained.  The  Huntingdon  Gazette  and  Weekly 
Advertiser  appeared  on  February  12,  1801,  imder  the  editorial  manage- 
ment of  John  McGahan,  a  practical  printer,  who  had  been  associated 
with  Michael  Duffy  in  the  publication  of  the  Huntingdon  Courier  four 
years  before.    It  continued  under  different  owners  until  1839. 

The  oldest  paper  in  the  valley  is  the  Lewistown  Gazette,  which  was 
started  in  181 1  by  William  P.  Elliott  and  James  Dickson.  About  three 
years  later  Mr.  Elliott  retired  and  the  paper  was  then  successively  owned 
by  T.  W.  Alitchell,  George  W.  Patton  and  William  Ross  until  1S33, 
when  it  was  purchased  by  \^'illiam  P.  Elliott,  one  of  the  founders,  who 
conducted  it  successfully  for  about  two  years,  when  his  son,  Richard 
S.  Elliott,  assumed  the  editorial  management,  although  but  eighteen  years 
of  age.  The  name  was  then  changed  to  the  Lewistown  Gazette  and 
Mifflin  and  Juniata  Advertiser,  the  object  no  doulat  having  been  to 
secure  patronage  in  Juniata  county,  which  had  been  erected  a  few  years 
before.  In  1839  the  paper  came  into  the  possession  of  Henry  Liebert, 
who  changed  the  name  to  the  Mifflin  County  Gazette  and  Farmers'  and 
]\Iechanics'  Journal.  William  Ross  again  became  the  owner  in  1843 
and  changed  the  name  to  the  Lewistown  Gazette,  which  it  still  retains. 
In  October,  1846,  the  paper  passed  to  George  Frysinger,  who  sold  it  to 
David  Over  in  March,  1865,  but  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  it  became 
the  property  of  Mr.  Frysinger  again.  Ten  years  later  the  publishers 
were  G.  R.  and  W.  M.  Frysinger.  The  latter  retired  in  1876,  when 
the  paper  was  conducted  by  George  Frysinger  as  editor  and  proprietor, 
with  George  R.  Frysinger  as  local  editor.  On  January  i,  1884,  the 
paper  was  sold  to  George  F.  and  J.  S.  Stackpole,  and  upon  the  death 
of  the  latter  George  F.  Stackpole  became  the  sole  proprietor. 

During  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  several  newspaper 
ventures  v.'ere  launched  in  Huntingdon,  but  only  one  of  the  papers 
started  in  that  time  has  survived.  Among  those  that  rose,  flourished 
for  a  short  time  and  then  perished  were  the  American  Eagle,  which 
began  its  career  in  181 1;  the  Huntingdon  Intelligencer  was  begun  in 
September,  1813,  by  James  Barbour  and  the  name  changed  to  the 
Republican  in  1814,  after  which  it  ran  to  August,  1819,  when  it  sus- 
pended :  the  Village  Monitor  existed  for  a  short  time,  when  the  outfit 
was  secured  by  another  publisher,  who  started  the  Republican  Advocate, 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  339 

which  continued  to  1839;  Henry  L.  McConnell  began  the  pubHcation 
of  the  Huntingdon  Courier  and  Anti-Masonic  Repubhcan  in  June,  1830, 
and  after  various  changes  it  was  consohdated  with  the  Holhdaysburg 
Aurora  in  1835 ;  a  German  paper  called  the  Huntingdon  Bote,  an  anti- 
Masonic  sheet,  was  started  in  1834,  but  it  was  short -hved ;  the  old 
Courier  outfit  was  purchased  by  A.  W.  Benedict  &  Company,  who 
started  the  Huntingdon  Journal  in  September,  1835,  and  continued  it 
for  several  3'ears.  Still  other  and  less  fortunate  papers  were  the 
Messenger,  the  Standing  Stone  Banner,  Young  America,  the  American 
and  the  \Vorkingmen's  Advocate.  The  Huntingdon  Globe,  the  only 
survivor  of  this  period,  was  issued  for  the  first  time  on  November 
22,  1843,  by  L.  G.  JNIytinger  and  G.  L.  Gentzell.  In  July,  1844,  the 
original  partnership  was  dissolved  and  the  publication  was  continued 
by  Mr.  Mytinger. 

In  Juniata  county  the  first  newspaper,  with  the  exception  of  Michael 
Dutfy's  brief  experiment  in  1794,  was  the  Mifflin  Eagle,  which  was 
started  by  Andrew  Gallagher  in  the  spring  of  1817.  In  1826  the  office 
was  removed  to  Lewistown,  where  the  paper  was  published  under  the 
same  name  for  several  years.  The  Mifflin  Advocate  made  its  appearance 
on  September  8,  1820.  published  by  David  iNIcClure,  but  after  a  short 
time  it  suspended.  After  the  removal  of  the  Eagle  to  Lewistown  there 
was  no  newspaper  in  the  town  until  after  the  erection  of  the  county 
of  Juniata.  On  May  25,  183 1,  Samuel  McDowell  and  Charles  Kelso 
issued  the  first  number  of  the  Juniata  Telegraph  and  People's  Advocate, 
which  was  succeeded  by  the  Juniata  Journal  in  1835,  with  F.  C.  Merklein 
as  publisher.  The  Juniata  Free  Press  was  started  on  June  22,,  183 1, 
by  Samuel  G.  Nesbit,  who  sold  it  to  Stephen  Cummings  in  May,  1836. 
About  a  year  later  Cummings  disposed  of  the  material  and  George  F. 
Humes  began  the  publication  of  the  Juniata  Herald  and  Anti-Masonic 
Democrat,  which  suspended  after  a  precarious  existence  of  about  eighteen 
months.  The  Telegraph,  after  various  changes  in  name  and  owner- 
ship, was  consolidated  with  the  True  Democrat,  which  was  started  by 
Greer  &  Harris  in  June,  i860,  the  consolidation  taking  place  on  October 
3,  1867. 

The  Juniata  Sentinel,  the  oldest  paper  now  in  existence  in  the  county, 
was  started  by  Alexander  K.  McClure,  who  issued  the  first  number  on 
December  9,    1846.     In  March,   1852,  the  paper  was  sold  to  John  J. 


340  HISTORY    OF   THE   JUMATA   VALLEY 

Patterson,  who  after  publishing  it  about  a  year  sold  it  to  Greer  S: 
^IcCrum.  During  the  next  twenty  years  the  paper  changed  owner- 
ship at  least  seven  times  until  it  became  the  property  of  B.  F.  Schweyer 
on  June  8,  1S70.  In  the  meantime  William  ^I.  Allison  &  Company 
began  the  publication  of  the  Juniata  Republican  on  April  4,  1S66,  and 
like  many  other  journalistic  enterprises  in  the  valley  it  changed  owners 
several  times  before  it  was  consolidated  with  the  Sentinel,  the  first 
number  of  the  Juniata  Sentinel  and  Republican  making  its  appearance 
on  October  22,  1873.  Since  the  death  of  B.  F.  Schweyer  in  the  spring 
of  1913,  the  paper  has  been  published  by  his  son,  W'ilderforce  Schweyer. 
Alexander  K.  McClure,  the  founder  of  the  Juniata  Sentinel,  and 
who  afterward  became  one  of  the  best  known  journalists  of  the  state, 
was  born  in  Perry  count)'  on  January  9,  1828,  and  at  the  time  he 
entered  upon  his  newspaper  career  was  but  nineteen  years  of  age.  \\'hile 
serving  an  apprenticeship  with  James  ^Marshall  in  a  tannery  at  Xew 
Bloomfield,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  visiting  the  ofifice  of  the  Perry 
Freeman,  where  he  greedily  read  the  exchanges  and  accjuired  the  ambi- 
tion to  become  a  journalist.  LTpon  severing  his  connection  with  the 
Juniata  Sentinel  in  1852,  he  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  Chambers- 
burg  Repository.  The  next  year  he  was  nominated  by  the  Whig  state 
convention  for  the  office  of  auditor-general  by  acclamation,  but  was 
defeated  along  with  the  rest  of  the  ^^'hig  ticket,  the  party  being  then 
in  a  hopeless  minority  in  the  state.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  Republican  party  in  Pennsylvania,  but  when  the  Whigs  of  Franklin 
county  formed  a  coalition  with  the  Know  Nothings  in  1855  ^''^  refused 
to  support  such  an  alliance  and  sold  his  interest  in  the  Repository.  Xot 
long  after  that  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  in  1856  was  a  delegate 
to  the  national  convention  that  nominated  General  John  C.  Fremont  for 
the  presidency.  In  i860  he  was  chairman  of  the  Republican  state 
committee  and  the  same  year  occupied  a  seat  in  the  Pennsylvania  state 
senate.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was  a  staunch  supporter  of  the  L'nion 
and  held  close  relations  with  both  President  Lincoln  and  Governor 
Curtin.  But  the  call  of  the  newspaper  office  was  too  strong  to  be 
resisted  and  in  1862  he  purchased  the  Chambersburg  Repository.  In 
1872  he  was  one  of  the  delegates  to  the  convention  which  nominated 
Horace  Greeley  for  the  presidency  and  that  year  was  again  elected  to 
the  state  senate.     Two  years  later  he  was  nominated  for  the  mayoralty 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  341 

of  Philadelphia  and  was  defeated  b}-  a  small  majority.  Not  long  after 
that  he  became  editor  of  the  Philadelphia  Times,  where  he  made  a 
national  reputation  as  a  vigorous  and  talented  writer. 

The  first  paper  published  in  Perry  county  was  the  Perry  Forester, 
which  was  started  at  Landisburg  in  1820,  soon  after  the  county  was 
organized,  by  Magee  &  Peterson.  In  April,  1829,  the  publication  office 
was  removed  to  New  Bloomfield  and  the  paper  published  there  until 
February,  1836,  when  it  was  discontinued.  On  October  7,  1836,  George 
Stroop  and  James  E.  Sample  issued  the  first  number  of  the  Perry  County 
Democrat,  which  succeeded  to  the  good-will  of  the  Forester.  In 
January,  1854,  the  Democrat  became  the  property  of  Stroop  &  ^lagee, 
the  senior  member  of  the  firm  being  a  son  of  Judge  Stroop,  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  paper,  and  the  junior  member  a  son  of  Alexander 
Magee,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Forester.  ]\Ir.  Stroop  retired  in 
1858  and  the  paper  passed  to  the  possession  of  John  A.  Alagee.  The 
Perry  County  Freeman  was  established  in  1839  by  John  A.  Bahn  and 
it  was  in  this  paper  that  the  contril^utions  to  the  County  Historical 
Society  were  published.  The  People's  Advocate  and  Press,  a  paper 
which  is  still  in  existence,  began  its  existence  in  New  Bloomfield  on 
June  29,  1853.  In  1854  it  supported  the  American  party  and  when 
the  Republican  party  was  organized  it  became  a  consistent  advocate 
of  the  principles  of  the  new  movement. 

Other  Perry  county  papers  were  the  Times,  of  New  Bloomfield, 
which  was  published  for  several  years  by  Frank  Mortimer;  the  Perry 
County  Standard,  published  by  Samuel  Schroch ;  the  Liverpool  Mercury, 
which  was  removed  to  New  Bloomfield  and  consolidated  with  the  Demo- 
crat; and  the  Ledger,  News  and  Gazette,  of  Newport. 

Remington's  Newspaper  Annual  for  19 10  gives  the  following  list 
of  newspapers  in  the  four  counties  embraced  in  this  work :  In  Hunt- 
ingdon— the  Huntingdon  Globe,  the  Grange  News  (monthly),  the  New 
Era  (daily  and  weekly),  the  News  (semi-weekly),  the  Mapleton  Item, 
the  Mount  Union  Republican  (semi-weekly),  the  Mount  Union  Times, 
and  the  Orbisonia  Dispatch.  In  ^lifilin — the  Belleville  Times,  the  Lewis- 
town  Gazette,  the  Lewistown  Democrat,  the  Lewistown  Sentinel  (daily), 
the  McVeytown  Journal,  and  the  Newton  Hamilton  Herald.  In  Juniata 
— the  Mifflintown  Herald,  the  Mifilintown  Sentinel,  the  Mifilintown 
Tribune,  the   Port  Royal  Times,   and   the  Thompsontown   Globe.      In 


342  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

Perry — the  Duncannon  Record,  the  Liverpool  Sun,  the  Marysville 
Journal,  the  Perry  County  Democrat,  the  People's  Advocate  and  Press, 
the  Newport  News,  and  the  Newport  Ledger.  All  the  papers  included 
in  this  list  are  published  weekly  unless  otherwise  indicated. 

One  educational  influence  of  a  local  character  that  deserves  mention 
in  this  connection  was  the  Perry  County  Historical  Society.  It  grew  out 
of  the  old  Philomathean  Literary  Society  of  the  New  Bloomfield 
Academy  and  its  history  begins  with  the  meeting  of  November  12,  1880, 
when  it  was  decided  to  add  to  the  exercises  of  the  society  the  reading 
of  papers  bearing  on  local  history.  John  A.  Baker,  at  that  time  editor 
and  proprietor  of  the  Perry  County  Freeman,  tendered  the  use  of  his 
columns  for  the  weekly  publication  of  such  papers  as  might  be  approved 
by  the  society,  and  on  January  14,  1881,  a  resolution  was  adopted  to 
the  effect  that  "The  historical  department  of  the  society  embrace  the 
work  of  gathering  the  history  of  Perry  county."  The  historical  com- 
mittee consisted  of  W.  H.  Sponsler,  J.  R.  Flickinger,  C.  W.  Baker, 
J.  C.  Wallis,  Rev.  A.  H.  Spangler  and  Rev.  John  Edgar.  It  was  soon 
seen  that  the  work  entailed  upon  this  committee  was  too  arduous  for  the 
number  of  members  and  on  March  25,  1881,  the  following  were  added : 
Wilson  Lupfer,  J.  W.  Beers,  A.  B.  Grosh,  J.  W.  McKee,  George  Rouse, 
C.  W.  Rhinesmith,  William  Orr  and  R.  H.  Stewart.  At  the  same 
meeting  the  following  resolution  was  adopted :  'Tt  shall  be  the  duty 
of  the  chairman  of  the  said  committee,  as  soon  as  shall  be  deemed 
convenient,  to  assemble  the  committee  and  resolve  it  into  sub-committees, 
assigning  to  such  committees  respectively  such  districts,  townships  or 
historical  epochs  as  shall  by  such  committee  be  deemed  advisable." 

For  a  few  months  the  interest  in  the  work  was  keen  and  a  number 
of  historical  articles  were  published  in  the  Freeman.  These  papers 
dealt  with  the  natural  features  of  the  county,  its  division  into  town- 
ships, its  industries,  sketches  of  its  pioneers  and  old  families,  churches, 
schools,  etc.  But  after  a  short  time  the  interest  waned,  apathy  settled 
upon  the  society  and  the  work  was  abandoned. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

RELIGIOUS   HISTORY 

General  Remarks — Presbyterians — First  Missionaries — Catholics — Methodist  Episcopal 
Church — Negro  Churches — Methodist  Protestant — Lutherans — Reformed  Church 
Baptists — German  Baptists,  or  Brethren — Mennonites — United  Brethren — Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church — Church  of  God,  or  Winebrennarians — Evangelical  Asso- 
ciation— Reformed  Church  of  America. 

TO  present  in  detail  a  history  of  each  of  the  numerous  churches 
in  the  four  counties  of  Huntingdon,  Mifflin,  Juniata  and  Perry 
would  require  a  good-sized  volume  in  itself,  even  if  the  neces- 
sary information  could  be  gathered  for  the  compilation  of  such  a 
history,  which,  in  many  instances,  it  is  utterly  impossible  to  do.  Pastors 
come  and  go,  bearing  away  with  them  knowledge  of  many  unrecorded 
incidents  of  their  ministrations,  church  records  are  not  alwa3-s  kept  as 
clearly  as  they  should  be,  many  of  the  old  "minute "books"  have  been 
lost  through  accident  or  negligence,  the  original  members  of  the  con- 
gregations have  passed  to  their  final  reward,  and  there  is  left  no  source 
from  which  to  draw  reliable  information  regarding"  the  trials  and 
struggles  of  the  pioneer  Christians. 

It  is  therefore  not  the  purpose  of  this  work  to  enter  into  the  subject 
minutely,  but  to  present  to  .the  reader  such  facts  as  will  enable  him 
to  form  some  general  idea  of  the  religious  progress  of  the  people  through 
the  century  and  a  half  since  the  first  white  men  came  into  the  Juniata 
valley.  In  presenting  this  topic,  the  object  has  been  to  present  the 
different  denominations  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  order  of  their  com- 
ing, with  a  due  regard  for  those  numerically  the  strongest,  and  the  con- 
gregations of  each  in  chronological  sequence.  In  this  method,  the 
denomination  that  must  occupy  the  first  place  is  the 

PRESBYTERIANS 

Among  the  first  settlers  were  a  number  of  this  faith  and  one  of 
their   earliest   concerns   was   to   secure   the   services   of   clergymen   to 

.  .  343 


344  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

minister  to  their  spiritual  needs.  As  early  as  1760  the  settlers  in  Sher- 
man's valley  made  application  to  the  Donegal  Presbytery  for  preachers, 
and  missionaries  were  sent  to  them.  In  1766  three  churches  were 
organized — Dick's  Gap,  four  miles  east  of  New  Bloomtield ;  Centre, 
near  Landisburg;  and  Upper  or  Toboyne,  not  far  from  the  present 
borough  of  Blain.  In  that  year  Rev.  Charles  Eeatty  and  Rev.  George 
Duffield  were  appointed  by  the  synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia 
to  visit  the  frontier  inhabitants,  and  on  Alonday,  August  iSth,  they 
left  Carlisle  for  Sherman's  valley.  The  next  day  Air.  Beatty  preached 
at  Centre,  which  he  describes  in  his  journal  as  "a  place  in  the  woods, 
designed  for  building  a  house  for  worship."  Continuing  their  journey, 
Air.  Duffield  preached  on  the  21st  "at  a  place  where  the  people  had 
begun  to  build  a  house  for  worship  before  the  late  war,  but  by  accident 
it  was  burned."  This  was  at  Academia,  where  the  Lower  Tuscarora 
church  was  built  not  long  after  Mr.  Beatty's  visit. 

After  preaching  "in  the  woods,  two  miles  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Juniata,"  on  Friday,  the  2Jnd,  Air.  Beatty  and  his  companion  passed 
the  night  at  James  Patterson's,  where  the  town  of  Alexico  is  now 
situated.  It  was  in  this  neighborhood  that  the  Cedar  Spring  church 
was  organized,  and  in  Alarch,  1767,  James  Patterson  and  John  Purdy 
went  to  the  land  office  and  obtained  a  tract  known  as  the  "glebe  lands" 
for  the  use  of  the  church. 

At  Patterson's  the  missionaries  separated.  Duffield  going  to  the  Path 
valley  and  Beatty  to  "the  new  settlements  up  the  river  Juniata."  On 
the  25th  he  was  at  Thomas  Holt's,  near  old  Fort  Granville.  On  the 
28th  he  crossed  the  Juniata  "at  the  mouth  of  the  Aughweek  river"  and 
followed  up  that  stream  on  his  way  to  Fort  Littleton. 

Among  the  ministers  who  served  these  earl_\-  churches  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  were  Hugh  Alagill,  William  and 
John  Linn,  John  Hoge,  Henderson,  Cooper,  Caldwell,  Speer,  AIcLane 
and  John  Coulter,  the  last  named  preaching  his  first  sermon  at  the  Lower 
Tuscarora  church  on  New  Year's  day,  1800. 

In  1774  a  sermon  was  preached  at  the  house  of  Robert  Brotherton, 
near  the  present  village  of  Allensville,  Alifflin  county,  Init  the  name  of 
the  preacher  appears  to  have  been  lost.  This  was  the  Ijeginning  of  the 
West  Kishacoquillas  church.  The  next  year  Rev.  Philip  V.  Fithian, 
a  son-in-law  of  Rev.   Charles  Eeatty,  visited  the  Kishacoquillas  valley 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  345 

as  a  missionary  and  preached  for  the  congregation  at  Allensville.  A 
tent  was  first  used  as  a  place  of  worship,  but  a  log  house  was  built  a 
few  years  later  and  used  until  1826,  when  it  was  replaced  by  a  brick 
structure.  In  i860  a  brick  building  was  erected  at  Belleville  at  a  cost 
of  about  $4,000  and  the  congregation  removed  to  that  place.  The  old 
church  at  Allensville  was  sold  soon  after  this  change  was  made.  Rev. 
James  Johnston  was  pastor  from  1784  to  1796,  when  he  was  succeeded 
b}'  Rev.  ^Villiam  Kennedy,  who  remained  until  1822.  The  East 
Kishacoquillas  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  at  an  early  date,  not 
exactly  known,  and  was  located  at  Kellyville.  ]\Ir.  Johnston  was  also 
pastor  of  this  church  for  several  years. 

The  Presbyterian  church  at  Shermansdale  first  appears  in  the  records 
of  the  Presbytery  in  1778  as  "Sherman's  Creek  Church,"  Rev.  Hugh 
Magill,  pastor.  It  was  united  with  the  New  Bloomfield  congregation 
in  1856.  The  site  is  now  marked  by  an  old  grave-yard,  in  which  it  is 
said  the  first  white  man  to  die  in  Perry  county  is  buried. 

In  1785  Rev.  Matthew  Stephens  settled  in  Bratton  township,  Mitiflin 
county,  and  was  the  first  resident  minister  in  charge  of  a  congregation. 
He  preached  at  Waynesburg  (now  ]\Ic\'"eytown),  Lewistown  and  other 
places  in  the  county  until  about  1796. 

On  July  6,  1789,  the  Presbyterians  in  and  around  Huntingdon 
organized  a  church  and  issued  a  call  to  Rev.  James  Johnston  for  half 
of  his  services.  On  October  7,  1789,  he  agreed  to  comply  with  their 
recpest  and  services  were  held  in  different  buildings  until  the  court-house 
was  finished,  when  they  were  held  there.  Then  the  Presbyterians, 
Lutherans  and  Episcopalians  united  in  the  erection  of  a  brick  church 
at  the  northeast  corner  of  Fourth  and  Church  streets,  but  the  different 
denominations  could  not  agree,  and  in  1826  the  sheriff  sold  the  interests 
of  the  Presbyterians  and  Episcopalians  to  Henry  Miller.  The  next  year 
the  Presbyterians  bought  a  lot  on  the  west  side  of  Fourth  street,  between 
Church  and  Mifflin,  and  the  corner-stone  of  a  new  building  was  laid 
on  August  13,  1828.  This  house  stood  until  1844,  when  it  was  replaced 
by  a  larger  one,  which  in  turn  was  superseded  by  the  present  building 
in  1876. 

Rev.  James  Johnston  held  services  in  the  Hartslog  valley,  in  Hunt- 
ingdon county,  soon  after  he  became  associated  with  the  church  in  the 
Kishacoquillas  valley,  and  about  1786  a  log  church  was  built.     It  was 


346  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

without  any  means  of  heating  until  1795,  but  the  people  would  wrap 
themselves  up  and  attend  services  even  on  the  coldest  days,  while  the 
minister  would  deliver  his  discourse  with  his  overcoat  on  in  order  to 
keep  warm. 

A  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  at  Lewistown  in  1790,  though 
services  had  been  held  there  for  several  years  prior  to  that  date  by  Rev. 
Matthew  Stephens,  who  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  James  Simpson.  About 
1820  a  lot  was  purchased  on  the  corner  of  Third  and  Brown  streets 
and  a  stone  house  was  erected  there.  It  was  taken  down  in  1855  and 
a  brick  church  was  built  in  its  stead.  The  third  building  on  this  lot 
was  completed  in  1910  at  a  cost  of  about  $45,000.  The  church  fronts 
on  Brown  street  and  fronting  on  Third  street  is  a  beautiful  little  build- 
ing used  as  a  Sunday  school  chapel. 

On  "Shaver's  Creek  Manor,"  in  Huntingdon  county,  a  piece  of 
ground  was  set  apart  in  1790  for  a  Presbyterian  church  and  grave-yard 
and  on  February  2^,,  1805,  the  "Presbyterian  Church  of  Shaver's  Creek 
Manor"  was  incorporated.  About  1844  a  church  was  established  in 
Jackson  township,  where  most  of  the  members  lived,  but  the  old  church 
was  kept  up  for  years  afterward.  Rev.  James  Crisswell,  of  the  West 
Kishacoquillas  church,  was  one  of  the  early  ministers.  This  church 
is  not  mentioned  in  the  history  of  the  Huntingdon  Presbytery. 

"The  Church  at  the  mouth  of  the  Juniata,"  as  it  was  first  known, 
had  its  beginning  in  1793,  but  being  too  near  the  Sherman's  Creek 
church  the  congregation  moved  their  place  of  worship  to  "Boyd's," 
two  miles  farther  west.  This  church  was  the  predecessor  of  the 
Presbvterian  church  of  Duncannon,  which  was  organized  about  the 
beginnfng  of  the  nineteenth  century,  with  Rev.  James  Brady  as  the  first 
pastor.  Services  were  held  in  private  residences  until  about  1804,  when 
a  log  church  was  built  on  an  eminence  at  the  mouth  of  the  Juniata.  A 
larger  and  more  modern  church  took  the  place  of  the  old  log  edifice 
some  years  later  and  the  congregation  is  still  in  a  prosperous  condition. 

Lost  Creek  church  was  organized  by  people  who  formerly  belonged 
to  the  Cedar  Spring  congregation,  and  who  withdrew  in  1796  to  form 
the  new  church.  In  1797  a  log  house  of  worship  was  built  on  ground 
donated  bv  David  Bole  and  Hugh  McAlister.  No  regular  pastor  was 
engaged  until  the  fall  of  1801,  when  Rev.  Matthew  Brown  came  to 
the  church,  but  services  had  been  held  in  the  meantime  by  such  ministers 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA  VALLEY  347 

as  could  be  induced  to  minister  to  the  wants  of  the  new  church.  About 
the  same  time  that  this  church  was  organized  a  movement  was  started 
in  Mifflintown  for  the  erection  of  a  Presbyterian  church  there.  In  the 
fall  of  1795  subscriptions  were  secured  amounting  to  about  $2,500  and 
a  building  was  erected  soon  afterward.  Upon  the  establishment  of  the 
Lost  Creek  and  Mifflintown  churches,  the  one  at  Cedar  Spring  was 
abandoned,  the  glebe  lands  were  sold  and  the  proceeds  divided  between 
the  new  congregations.  The  present  church  in  Mifflintown,  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  public  square,  is  a  handsome  brick  edifice,  erected 
in  1886. 

During  the  year  1800  Presbyterian  congregations  Avere  organized 
at  Shirleysburg  and  in  Dublin  township,  Huntingdon  county.  At  the 
latter  place  a  log  house  was  built  the  same  year,  but  the  church  at 
Shirleysburg  was  not  built  until  1830.  Revs.  James  Johnston,  Samuel 
Woods  and  John  Peebles  were  some  of  the  early  ministers. 

The  McVeytown  church  was  regularly  organized  in  1814,  when 
John  McVey  conveyed  to  the  trustees  of  the  congregation  a  half  an 
acre  of  land  for  the  use  of  the  church.  A  small  stone  building  was 
erected  the  next  year.  Services  had  been  held  at  this  place  by  Rev. 
^Matthew  Stephens,  James  Simpson  and  others  before  that  time.  In 
1833  the  old  church  building  was  torn  down  and  a  more  commodious 
one  erected. 

Rev.  James  M.  Olmstead  came  into  the  Juniata  Valley  early  in  1S23 
and  in  April  organized  the  church  at  Old  Buffalo,  where  services  had 
been  irregularly  held  for  a  number  of  years  by  Rev.  John  Linn  and 
others.  A  log  house  was  built  that  year  and  used  until  about  1850, 
when  it  was  abandoned  and  a  new  one  erected  at  Ickesburg. 

On  June  7,  1825,  thirty-two  persons,  members  of  the  old  Centre 
church,  withdrew  from  that  congregation  and  organized  the  Landisburg 
Presbyterian  church,  with  Rev.  James  M.  McClintock  as  pastor.  Ser- 
vices were  held  in  the  school  house  for  about  five  years,  when  a  church 
was  built. 

On  the  line  between  Union  and  Brown  townships,  Miiiflin  county, 
the  LTnited  Presbyterians  and  the  East  Kishacoquillas  congregation 
erected  what  was  known  as  the  "Centre  Church"  in  1830.  The  former 
denomination  finally  gave  up  their  organization  and  the  East 
Kishacoquillas  church  came   into  control.     The  same  year    (1830)   a 


348  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUXIATA   \\\LLEY 

Presbyterian  church  was  organized  at  Alexandria,  Huntingdon  county. 
Not  long  after  that  a  union  was  effected  with  the  Hartslog  congregation 
and  in  185 1  a  handsome  brick  church  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  over 
$6,000. 

Early  in  183 1  the  Presbyterians  living  in  New  Bloomfield  and 
the  immediate  vicinity  organized  a  church  and  services  were  at  first 
held  in  the  court-house  by  Rev.  John  Niblock.  The  same  year  a  lot 
was  purchased  at  the  corner  of  High  and  Carlisle  streets,  and  after 
several  vexatious  delays  the  church  was  dedicated  in  1835.  It  was 
used  until  1870,  when  it  was  removed  and  the  present  structure  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $7,500. 

In  jMilroy  the  Presbyterians  departed  from  the  usual  custom  by 
first  building  a  house  for  worship  and  then  organizing  a  congregation. 
A  neat  frame  structure  was  put  up  in  1833  and  on  August  13,  1834, 
the  congregation,  consisting  of  105  members,  was  regularly  organized 
by  a  committee  from  the  Huntingdon  Presbytery.  Rev.  James  Xourse 
was  the  first  pastor.  In  185S  this  congregation  erected  a  brick  building 
for  a  mission  at  Siglerville.  From  May,  1858,  to  September,  1883, 
the  pastor  of  the  Milroy  church  was  Rev.  J.  W.  White.  Toward  the 
latter  part  of  his  administration  he  changed  his  views  regarding  certain 
doctrines  of  the  Presbyterian  creed  and  he  withdrew  from  the  church. 
His  former  congregation,  with  many  others,  united  in  a  request  for 
him  to  remain  and  preach  the  gospel  as  he  interpreted  it.  Accord- 
ingly the  Milroy  church  became  known  as  the  "Free  Church  of  Milroy 
and  Siglerville,"  Mr.  \\'hite  remaining  as  the  pastor  and  increasing 
the  membership  from  160  to  nearly  400.  Rev.  J.  C.  W'ilhelm,  who 
withdrew  from  the  Huntingdon  Presbytery  at  the  same  time,  assisted 
I\Ir.  White  in  this  work.  Mr.  \\'hite  died  at  the  Presbyterian  Hospital 
in  Philadelphia,  April  11,  1901.  He  continued  as  pastor  up  to  a  few 
months  before  his  death,  and  the  church  is  now  known  as  the  "\Miite 
Memorial." 

On  IMay  16,  1835,  the  Birmingham  Presbyterian  church  was 
organized  with  Rev.  Samuel  Hill  as  pastor.  Services  were  held  in  the 
old  stone  school  house  until  1837,  when  a  church  was  built.  This 
house  was  outgrown  in  time  and  a  new  one  was  erected  in  1869. 

A  Presbyterian  congregation  was  organized  at  Newton  Hamilton 
in  the  spring  of  1838  by  Revs.  John  Peebles  and  J.  W.  \\'oods,  acting 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  349 

under  authority  of  the  Huntingdon  Presbytery,  and  Rev.  Benjamin 
Carroll  was  installed  as  pastor.  A  small  frame  church  was  erected  that 
year  and  used  until  1838,  when  it  was  replaced  by  a  larger  house  of 
brick. 

In  1845  ^ev.  B.  E.  Collins  began  holding  meetings  for  the  Pres- 
byterians of  Mount  Union  and  in  1849  ^  church  was  erected.  It  was 
a  small  frame  house,  but  large  enough  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  small 
congregation  which  gathered  there.  The  church  was  regularly  organized 
in  May,  1865,  and  the  present  house  of  worship  was  built  in  1882. 

On  May  i.  1S46,  John  Wiley  and  his  wife  conveyed  to  the  trustees 
of  the  Presljyterian  congregation  in  Newport  a  lot  for  a  church.  }vleet- 
ings  had  been  held  before  that  time  in  private  dwellings,  vacant  store 
rooms  and  the  school  house.  The  corner  stone  of  the  church  was  laid 
on  May  12,  1846,  and  the  building  was  dedicated  on  May  23,  1847.  A 
new  edifice  was  erected  in  1885. 

In  Huntingdon  county  Presbyterian  churches  were  established  at 
Shade  Gap  in  1848  by  Rev.  J.  F.  ]McGinnes,  and  at  Shaver's  creek 
bridge,  in  West  township,  and  Spruce  creek  in  1850. 

At  Port  Royal  the  first  sermon  of  any  kind  was  preached  by  Rev. 
Charles  Beatty  in  1766,  but  the  first  Presbyterians  in  this  vicinity  at- 
tended the  Lower  Tuscarora  church.  Later  services  were  held  in  the 
school  houses  in  the  Lower  Tuscarora  valley  until  a  small  church  was 
built.  By  an  arrangement  with  the  Lutherans  this  house  was  used  by 
the  two  congregations  on  alternate  Sundays  until  the  Presbyterians 
became  strong  enough  to  build  a  better  house.  In  1852  a  brick  church 
was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $6,500.  Four  years  later  the  roof  was 
badly  damaged  by  a  storm,  but  it  was  soon  repaired.  The  house  was 
enlarged  in  1880  and  further  additions  have  been  made  since  that  time. 
Rev.  William  Y.  Brown  was  the  first  pastor. 

At  Petersburg  a  congregation  was  formed  and  a  church  erected 
about  1834.  The  house  was  first  used  by  what  was  called  the  Bethel 
congregation,  organized  in  1850  in  the  church  at  Shaver's  creek  bridge. 
Subsequently  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Petersburg  Presbyterian 
church. 

A  congregation  of  only  six  members  was  organized  at  ^^lapleton 
in  the  early  part  of  1861  by  Rev.  B.  E.  Collins,  and  a  brick  house  of 
worship  was  erected  the  same  year.     During  the  war  the  church  made 


350  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

but  little  progress,  but  the  six  faithful  members  were  like  the  leaven 
the  woman  hid  in  the  meal,  for  the  JMapleton  church  has  been  pros- 
perous ever  since  the  close  of  the  war. 

In  1850  what  was  known  as  the  "Union  Church"'  was  built  at  Spruce 
Creek  and  was  intended  to  be  free  to  all  denominations.  Presbyterian 
ministers  held  a  revival  there  in  the  winter  of  1S70-71  and  on  April  9, 
1870,  fifty-one  members  met  and  organized  the  Lower  Spruce  Creek 
church.  A  neat  brick  house  was  erected  on  ground  belonging  to  E.  B. 
Isett,  on  the  east  side  of  the  turnpike. 

One  of  the  newest  Presbyterian  churches  in  the  valley  is  that  of 
Burnham,  which  was  organized  about  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century.  A  neat  and  substantial  house  of  worship,  costing  about  $9,000, 
was  dedicated  in  January,  ,1903. 

The  United  Presbyterians  of  Standing  Stone  valley  organized  about 
1 80 1,  as  an  off-shoot  of  the  Associate  Presbyterians  of  Huntingdon. 
In  1858  a  separate  charge  was  established,  under  Rev.  J.  M.  Adair,  and 
in  1869  a  church  was  built.  The  United  Presbyterian  church  of  Mc- 
Coysville,  Juniata  county,  was  built  in  1871,  and  the  one  at  ^Mexico  in 
1877.  Ii''  1907  this  denomination  organized  a  church  at  Highland  Park, 
a  suburb  of  Lewistown.  Services  were  held  for  a  time  in  the  hose 
house,  but  later  a  church  was  built  at  the  corner  of  Sixth  street  and 
Electric  avenue. 

THE    CATHOLICS 

were  the  next  denomination  to  send  missionaries  into  the  Juniata  Valley. 
Jesuit  priests  were  in  the  Black  Log  valley  before  1770.  and  on  August 
I,  1794,  Dr.  William  Smith,  the  founder  of  Huntingdon,  deeded  to 
Right  Rev.  John  Carroll,  Bishop  of  Baltimore,  a  tract  of  ground  at 
the  northeast  corner  of  Church  and  Second  streets  for  a  church.  A 
small  log  chapel  was  built  soon  afterward  and  was  used  until  1828, 
when  the  brick  church  was  erected  at  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Washing- 
ton streets.  This  church  (the  Holy  Trinity)  is  still  standing,  though  it 
has  been  repaired  and  remodeled  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  growing 
congregation  and  it  is  still  the  only  Catholic  church  in  the  borough. 

About  1800  a  Catholic  church  was  established  on  Shade  creek,  in 
Cromwell  township,  Huntingdon  county,  and  called  St.  Mary's.  While 
the  Pennsylvania  canal  was  under  construction  a  number  of  Catholics 


HISTORY   OF   THE  JUNIATA  VALLEY  351 

came  into  the  Juniata  Valley  as  workmen  upon  the  canal  and  services 
were  held  at  different  places  along  the  line.  As  Lewistown  was  a  central 
point,  Right  Rev.  Henry  Conwell,  Bishop  of  Philadelphia,  deemed  it 
advisable  to  establish  there  a  permanent  church.  Accordingly,  on  April 
14,  1S28,  he  purchased  the  lot  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Dorcas  and 
Third  streets,  on  which  a  chapel  and  parsonage  were  soon  afterward 
erected.  The  little  church  was  under  the  charge  of  the  Pittsburgh 
diocese  until  i8r)8,  when  the  Harrisburg  diocese  was  formed  and  Lewis- 
town  came  within  the  new  district.  L'p  to  that  time  the  church  had 
been  supplied  from  Huntingdon  and  Bellefonte.  but  after  the  estal^lish- 
ment  of  the  Harrisburg  diocese  steps  were  taken  to  improve  the  con- 
ditions at  Lewistown.  The  chapel  was  supplanted  by  the  present  brick 
building  in  1870  and  two  years  later  Father  T.  J.  Fleming  was  placed 
in  charge  as  resident  priest.  In  1913  the  membership  of  the  church 
was  about  three  hundred,  with  Rev.  John  ]\Ielchor  in  charge.  Some 
years  ago  a  mission  was  established  at  Burnham  and  a  chapel  there  was 
dedicated  in  the  spring  of  1908. 

In  1855  Father  Hayden,  of  Stonerstown,  Bedford  county,  visited 
the  few  Catholic  families  living  in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  borough 
of  Dudley  and  held  services.  A  year  or  so  later  a  small  frame  chapel 
was  erected,  whicli  in  time  was  replaced  by  a  larger  and  more  pretentious 
edifice.  The  church  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1871,  but  a  new  one  was 
soon  afterward  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $8,000. 

THE    METHODISTS 

Some  time  during  the  year  1795  a  Methodist  minister  came  to 
Shirleysburg  and  held  services  in  the  house  of  Isaac  Sharrer.  A  class 
was  formed  soon  after  that  and  about  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth 
century  a  congregation  was  organized.  The  first  house  of  worship  was 
built  about  18 10  and  in  1843  ^  brick  church  was  erected.  It  was 
destroyed  by  fire  after  a  short  time  and  the  present  building  was  put 
up  in  1877. 

In  the  town  of  Huntingdon,  the  first  Methodist  services  were  held 
at  the  house  of  Rebecca  Tanner  and  the  first  society  was  organized 
in  1797.  The  first  house  of  worship  was  built  in  1802  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  Fifth  and  Churcii  streets.  It  was  of  logs,  like  most  of  the 
earlv  churches,  but  with  repairs  and  additions  it  continued  in  use  until 


352  HISTORY    OF   THE   JUXIATA   VALLEY 

1856,  when  a  new  house  was  built.  A  third  building  was  erected  about 
1893.  but  it  was  burned  a  few  years  ago  and  the  present  magnilicent 
structure  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Mifflin  streets  was  dedicated  in 
19 10.  The  West  Huntingdon  chapel,  on  Fifteenth  street  between  Aloore 
and  ]\Iifflin  streets,  was  built  in  1875,  and  is  now  known  as  the  Second 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Huntingdon. 

A  congregation  was  organized  in  the  Trough  creek  valley,  in  the 
northern  part  of  Tod  township,  Huntingdon  county,  in  1798  and  a 
log  church  was  built  there  before  the  close  of  the  century.  A  new 
church  was  built  in  1861.  Another  early  Methodist  church  in  Tod 
township  is  Asbury  chapel,  which  was  built  about  1801. 

About  the  Ijeginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  Rebecca  Duncan, 
who  lived  on  Duncan's  island  at  the  mouth  of  the  Juniata,  opened  her 
house  for  the  entertainment  of  IVIethodist  missionaries  and  ser\-ices  were 
held  there.  Later  she  persuaded  the  trustees  of  the  school  district  to 
add  a  second  story  to  the  school  house  at  her  expense,  and  this  room 
she  donated  to  the  church  as  a  house  of  worship.  Regular  services 
were  held  there  until  the  great  flood  of  February,  1865,  when  the  house 
was  washed  away.  In  the  meantime  a  congregation  had  been  organized 
in  Duncannon  in  1809,  the  first  services  being  held  at  the  residence  of 
Abraham  Young.  This  church  was  one  of  four  in  the  same  circuit, 
the  others  being  Liverpool,  Shermansdale  and  Pfoutz  A'alley.  The 
first  house  of  worship  for  the  Duncannon  church  was  built  in  1S27, 
a  larger  one  in  1840,  and  the  present  one  in  i8Sj. 

The  first  Methodist  society  in  Lewistown  was  organized  in  1815. 
Charles  Hardy,  who  located  there  as  early  as  1791,  was  a  ]\Iethodist 
and  through  his  influence  ministers  of  that  faith  visited  the  new  town 
and  the  first  services  were  held  in  the  old  log  jail.  Before  the  close 
of  the  \'ear  181 5  a  small  brick  church  was  liuilt  on  Third  street,  between 
Brown  and  Dorcas.  In  1830  a  larger  building  was  erected  on  the 
corner  of  Third  and  Dorcas,  to  which  galleries  were  added  in  1844  to 
accommodate  the  growing  congregation.  Further  additions  were  made 
in  1867,  but  in  time  the  building  became  too  small  and  the  present  im- 
posing edifice  was  erected  in  1910  at  a  cost  of  about  $55,000.  The 
church  was  part  of  the  Aughwick  circuit  until  1833,  when  it  was  made 
a  separate  station. 

In  1S22  the  few  Methodists  living  along  Laurel  run  began  holding 


HISTORY    OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  353 

meetings  in  the  school  house.  Their  number  increased,  and  in  1825 
a  small  church  was  built  in  Milroy.  A  larger  and  more  commodious 
house  was  erected  in  1846.  The  first  pastor  of  the  Laurel  Run  or 
Milroy  church  was  Rev.  Thomas  McGee.  About  a  year  after  the  first 
services  were  held  for  this  congregation  a  small  society  was  formed  at 
Yeagertown.     The  present  church  there  was  dedicated  in   1903. 

The  Methodist  church  of  Newton  Hamilton  was  organized  in  the 
spring  of  1825  and  a  small  frame  house  was  built  on  the  farm  of 
Joshua  Morrison.  The  construction  of  the  canal  four  years  later  forced 
the  removal  of  this  building  a  short  distance,  where  it  was  used  by 
the  congregation  until  1840,  when  a  new  house  was  built  in  the  village. 
The  present  brick  building  was  erected  in  1884. 

The  Pine  Grove  church,  in  Juniata  county,  was  organized  about  1S20 
and  services  were  held  in  the  school  house  until  182S,  when  a  stone 
church  was  built  near  the  old  town  of  Jericho.  Among  the  early 
preachers  here  were  Henry  G.  Fearing  and  Wesley  Howe.  The  old 
church  was  entirely  remodeled  in  1857  and  is  still  used  by  the  con- 
gregation. 

The  Perry  Forester,  of  New  Bloomfield,  published  a  notice  in  the 
issue  preceding  June  18,  1829,  that  Rev.  ]\Ir.  Tarring,  a  2\Iethodist 
minister,  would  preach  in  the  court-house  on  the  evening  of  the  iSth 
"at  early  candle-light."  Not  long  after  that  a  society  was  organized, 
and  in  October  following  a  lot  was  purchased  on  High  street  for  a 
church.  The  building  was  completed  in  183 1  and  was  used  until  1866, 
when  it  was  rebuilt  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  Franklin  Gerhart. 

^Methodist  churches  were  organized  in  1830  at  Newburg  and  Frank- 
linville,  Huntingdon  county,  and  at  Blain,  Perry  county.  At  Newburg 
a  frame  house  was  built  soon  after  the  organization  was  effected.  At 
Franklinville  the  society  was  the  outgrowth  of  a  class  which  had  been 
organized  some  years  before  by  the  Matterns,  Stonebrakers  and  other 
Methodist  families  living  in  the  vicinity.  The  Blain  church  was 
organized  through  the  efforts  of  David  Aloreland  and  William  Sheibley, 
who  had  opened  their  houses  to  itinerant  ministers  some  vears  before. 
The  church  Ijuilding  was  erected  in  1855  and  was  remodeled  in  i88s, 
when  a  cupola  and  bell  were  added.  The  same  year  that  these  churches 
were  formed  (1830)  the  first  Methodist  sermon  was  preached  in  Alifflin- 
town  by  a  minister  named  Kincaid.     Five  years  later  a  building  was 


354  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

erected  which  was  used  both  as  a  school  house  and  a  place  of  worship 
until  after  the  great  storm  of  1879,  which  did  considerable  damage  to 
the  structure.  It  was  then  repaired  and  remodeled  and  since  then  has 
been  used  by  the  congregation  as  a  church. 

The  I^IcVeytown  JNIethodist  church  was  organized  in  1S32  and  the 
following  year  a  lot  on  Queen  street  was  purchased  and  a  brick  house 
of  worship  erected  thereon.  In  1874  the  building  was  enlarged  and 
remodeled  and  is  still  used  by  the  congregation.  The  same  year  that 
this  societ}'  was  organized  the  Dry  Valley  2\Iethodist  church,  at  Kelly- 
ville,  was  also  established.  A  building  was  partially  erected  in  1835 
and  furnished  with  plain  board  seats.  In  this  condition  it  was  used 
for  a  number  of  years  before  it  was  plastered  or  provided  with  better 
furniture.     In  1868  the  present  brick  house  was  erected. 

McKendree  chapel,  in  the  southern  part  of  Cromwell  township, 
Huntingdon  county,  and  ^Monroe  chapel,  two  and  a  half  miles  north- 
west of  Orbisonia,  were  both  established  in  1832.  A  house  of  worship 
was  built  for  the  latter  congregation  in  1838,  but  the  McKendree  chapel 
was  not  built  until  about  1844. 

For  some  years  prior  to  1833  the  Methodists  living  in  the  vicinity 
of  Warriors  Mark  had  been  attending  church  at  Birmingham,  where 
a  church  had  Ijeen  organized  some  years  before  and  was  then  meeting 
in  the  school  house.  In  1833  a  society  was  formed  at  Warrior's  Mark 
and  a  small  frame  church  erected.  It  was  replaced  by  a  new  one  in 
1873  ''t  a  cost  of  $2,500.  The  first  house  of  worship  was  built  by  the 
Birmingham  congregation  in  1835  '^"'^1  ^^^^  present  one  in  1874. 

On  October  19,  1836,  James  Black  gave  a  deed  for  a  lot  to  the 
trustees  of  the  Methodist  congregation,  which  had  just  been  organized 
at  Newport.  Early  in  1869  the  church  appointed  a  committee  to  sell 
the  church  erected  in  1837,  and  on  April  26  it  reported  the  sale  of  the 
property  to  the  Evangelical  Association  for  $1,450,  with  the  right  to 
use  the  building  until  the  following  October.  W^ork  on  a  new  house  of 
worship  was  commenced  and  the  new  building  was  dedicated  on  January 
6,  1 87 1.  It  is  one  of  the  handsomest  churches  in  Newport  and  cost 
about  $15,000. 

Early  in  the  nineteenth  century  the  Crums.  Chaneys,  Wilsons  and 
other  Methodist  families  living  near  Manor  Hill,  Huntingdon  county, 
organized  a  class   and   services  were  held  at   irregular  intervals   in  a 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  355 

small  brick  house  erected  for  the  purpose.  In  1837  the  society  ^vas 
fully  organized  and  a  larger  house  of  worship  was  built  the  same  year. 

A  Methodist  society  was  organized  at  Mount  Union  in  1838,  but 
no  definite  information  concerning  its  early  history  can  be  gathered. 
The  present  house  of  worship  was  built  in  1873. 

At  Millerstown  the  Methodist  church  was  built  in  1840,  the  con- 
gregation there  being  at  that  time  a  part  of  the  Newport  charge.  Rev. 
Peter  McEnnally  was  the  first  pastor  to  serve  at  ISIillerstown  after  the 
new  church  was  erected.  The  same  year  that  the  Millerstown  church 
was  built  a  society  was  organized  at  Mill  Creek,  but  no  church  was 
built  there  until  1852. 

Services  in  the  town  of  New  Buffalo  were  first  held  by  the  ^Methodists 
in  a  private  house  and  later  in  a  building  erected  for  mercantile  purposes. 
When  the  school  house  was  built  in  1834  the  little  congregation  met 
there  until  1841,  when  a  church  was  erected  by  Rev.  Joseph  Parker. 
A  revival  was  then  held  and  about  forty  persons  united  with  the  church. 
The  old  building  was  completely  remodeled — or  rather  rebuilt — in  1876. 
A  year  after  the  erection  of  the  first  church  in  New  Buffalo  a  Methodist 
church  was  built  at  Ickesburg. 

Thomas  T.  Cromwell,  the  Martins,  the  Hockenburys  and  a  few 
other  Methodist  families  organized  a  class  at  Orbisonia  soon  after  the 
beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  but  no  regular  church  was  built 
there  until  1846.  It  was  replaced  by  a  larger  and  more  modern  structure 
a  few  years  ago. 

In  1847  the  Methodist  church  at  Port  Royal  was  built  and  it  is  the 
oldest  church  edifice  in  the  borough.  The  same  year  a  church  was 
organized  at  Shade  Gap  and  a  class  was  formed  in  Penn  township, 
Huntingdon  county,  by  Rev.  Robert  Beers,  though  no  church  was  built 
there  until  1852.  The  church  at  East  Waterford  was  built  in  the  year 
1848. 

On  November  24,  185 1,  James  Bailey  donated  a  piece  of  ground 
at  the  junction  of  the  Greenwood  Furnace  and  Back  roads,  in  Brown 
township.  ^Mifflin  county,  for  a  IMethodist  church.  The  next  year  a  neat 
frame  house  was  put  up  and  the  first  services  were  held  in  the  "Mountain 
Chapel,"  as  the  new  church  was  called,  by  Rev.  William  R.  Mills,  of 
the  Milroy  circuit.  The  Methodist  church  of  Marklesburg  was  also 
organized  in   185 1   and  the   church  there  was  dedicated  some  time  in 


356  HISTORY    OF   THE   JUNLATA   VALLEY 

the  summer  of  1852  by  Rev.  (afterward  Bishop)  Thomas  Bowman. 
]\Iount  Pleasant  church,  near  Eagle  foundry,  was  also  built  and  dedicated 
in  1852.  Other  churches  organized  or  dedicated  in  this  year  were 
those  at  Allenville  and  Lilleyville,  the  latter  on  the  farm  of  Rev.  S.  P. 
Lilley,  a  local  preacher. 

Bauman's  chapel,  in  Smith's  valley,  about  two  miles  from  Cassville, 
was  built  in  1854,  and  the  church  at  Mooresville  the  same  year.  Class 
meetings  had  been  held  by  the  Smith's  valley  congregation  for  some 
time  prior  to  1854  and  services  were  held  in  the  school  house  until 
the  church  was  erected.  The  ]\Iooresville  congregation  first  met  in  the 
log  school  house  not  far  from  Neff's  Mills  until  the  brick  church  was 
built  at  ]\Iooresville  in  1854,  as  above  stated. 

A  Methodist  church  was  built  and  dedicated  in  Horse  valley,  Perry 
county,  in  1857.  It  stands  on  land  donated  by  Benjamin  Scyoc  and  is 
known  as  "Scyoc  Chapel."  About  the  same  time  a  society  was  organized 
at  Burnham.     The  present  church  edifice  there  was  erected  in  1907. 

A  class  was  organized  at  Mapleton  school  house  in  1859  and  a 
regular  pastor  was  supplied  the  next  year.  A  church  was  built  and 
dedicated  in  1871.  Coalmont  was  first  supplied  with  a  regular  pastor 
in  i860,  a  church  was  organized  in  1874  and  reorganized  in  1881. 

Kemmerling  chapel  was  built  at  Wagner  in  1861  and  was  named 
for  John  Kemmerling,  who  was  the  prime  mover  in  the  organization 
of  the  congregation  and  the  erection  of  the  church.  Rev.  Samuel  C. 
,Zmith  was  the  first  pastor. 

^^t  Alexandria  a  ]\Iethodist  society  was  organized  early  in  the  year 
1864  and  was  attached  to  the  Petersburg  circuit,  which  had  been  estab- 
lished a  ihort  time  before  the  Civil  war.  A  church  edifice  was  soon 
afterward  b-iilt,  which  was  replaced  by  a  larger  one  some  years  later, 
and  this  in  tu^n  was  supplanted  by  the  present  building,  which  was 
erected  in  1S76. 

In  1865  jMethc'i'^t'  churches  were  built  at  Loysville,  Ennisville  and 
Greenwood  Furnace.  The  church  at  Loysville  was  under  the  charge 
of  Rev.  F.  B.  Riddle,  of  the  New  Bloomfield  circuit,  who  w-as  an  active 
factor  in  promoting  the  organization  of  the  society.  The  Greenwood 
Furnace  church,  a  substantial  stone  structure,  was  not  dedicated  until 
in  1867. 

The  ^lethodist  church  of  I\Iarys^•ille  was  organized  in   1872,  with 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  357 

fifteen  members,  and  the  following  year  a  comfortable  house  of  worship 
was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $2,400. 

Meetings  were  held  by  a  few  Methodists  living  in  the  vicinity  of 
Reedsville  as  early  as  1827,  but  no  church  was  built  there  until  1875, 
when  a  frame  house  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $1,000  and  the  pulpit 
was  supplied  by  Rev.  Luther  F.  Smith,  of  the  Milroy  circuit.  The 
present  church  edifice  was  built  in  1907. 

In  1877  an  imposing  brick  church,  of  Gothic  design,  was  erected  by 
the  ]\Iethodist  church  of  Liverpool,  which  congregation  had  been 
organized  many  years  before.  The  cost  of  the  building  was  about 
$5,000. 

Wesley  chapel,  in  Miller  township,  Huntingdon  county,  was  dedi- 
cated on  December  17,  1880,  by  Rev.  E.  J.  Gray.  An  old  house  of 
worship  had  been  built  here  about  1846  by  Joseph  Miller,  but  the  con- 
gregation ran  down  for  a  time  and  had  to  be  revived  before  the  new 
'church  was  built. 

In  1903  a  Methodist  church  was  dedicated  at  Yeagertown  and  two 
years  later  the  Highland  Park  church  was  organized.  The  latter  held 
services  in  the  hose  house  for  some  time,  but  later  a  building  was  erected 
through  the  generosity  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  L.  Rhodes,  and  the  church  is 
known  as  the  "Rhodes  Memorial  Church." 

The  Bethel  African  ^Methodist  church  of  Lewistown  was  organized 
in  1816  by  Rev.  Richard  Allen  and  Bishop  AVhite,  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church,  and  the  former  acted  as  pastor  until  1831.  In  1872 
a  lot  was  purchased  on  \\'est  Juniata  street  and  a  church  erected  at  a 
cost  of  $1,800.  Additions  costing  about  $700  were  made  a  few  years 
later.  The  Wesley  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  organized 
in  1872  and  meets  on  West  Third  Street.  Huntingdon  also  has  two 
colored  Methodist  churches — the  African  ]\Iethodist  Episcopal  Zion 
church  at  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Moore  streets  and  Pavne  chapel. 

A  Methodist  Protestant  church  was  organized  at  Shermansdale  in 
1838  and  a  building  was  erected  upon  a  lot  donated  by  George  Smiley. 
In  1844  a  congregation  of  the  same  faith  was  organized  in  Cole's  valley 
and  held  meetings  in  the  school  house  for  some  time,  but  no  church 
■was  ever  built.  Another  congregation  of  this  faith  met  in  the  Harmony 
Grove  school  house.  Huntingdon  county,  in  1853  and  the  church  at 
Saltillo  was  organized  in  1873. 


358  HISTORY    OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

THE  LUTHERANS 

The  first  minister  of  this  denomination  to  hold  meetings  west  of 
the  Susquehanna  river  was  Rev.  Mathias  Guntzel,  who  came  to  Pfoutz 
Valley  in  1789  and  preached  to  the  settlers  in  that  locality  for  about 
seven  years,  though  there  is  no  record  of  any  church  organization  having 
been  made  during  that  time.  In  1796  a  minister  named  Fisher  held 
services  in  the  old  log  jail  at  Lewistown,  though  several  years  passed 
before  a  regular  organization  was  effected.  On  January  3,  18 14,  the 
Lutheran  and  Reformed  congregations  bought  a  lot  on  West  Third 
street  and  on  July  29,  1824,  the  corner-stone  of  Zion's  church  was  laid 
with  appropriate  ceremonies.  On  July  9,  1827,  the  two  congregations 
were  incorporated  under  the  name  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  and 
Reformed  L^nited  Church  of  Zion.  The  Lutheran  membership  steadily 
increased  and  the  minutes  of  the  church  show  that  on  October  20, 
1849,  a  resolution  to  build  a  new  church  was  adopted.  A  lot  at  the 
corner  of  Third  and  ]\Iain  streets  was  purchased  on  May  27,  1850, 
and  the  congregation  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  St.  John's 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  of  Lewistown,  the  act  vesting  in  the 
Lutheran  church  the  right  to  the  old  property  purchased  by  the  two 
congregations  twenty-five  years  before.  The  old  church  was  sold  for 
$400  and  a  new  one  built  for  $1,750.  It  was  burned  to  the  ground  on 
the  night  of  January  28,  1852,  and  another  building  was  soon  after 
erected  in  its  place  at  a  cost  of  $3,300,  such  portions  of  the  old  walls 
as  were  safe  being  used.  This  building  was  used  until  1900,  when  the 
present  church  was  erected.  Prior  to  the  building  of  the  present  house, 
a  Sunday  school  chapel  was  built,  the  corner-stone  of  which  was  laid 
on  October  7,  1892,  and  an  extension  was  built  to  this  chapel  in  1911-12. 
The  corner-stone  of  the  extension  is  the  same  one  that  was  in  the  old 
church  that  was  built  in  1824.  The  value  of  the  property  is  estimated 
at  $50,000. 

St.  JNIichael's  Lutheran  church,  at  the  old  village  of  Liberty  Hall, 
Perry  county,  was  built  in  1798  and  is  thus  described  by  Focht  in  his 
"History  of  the  Churches  between  the  Mountains"  :  "This  was  a  log 
structure  about  35  by  45  feet  in  size.  The  logs  and  other  timbers  are 
said  to  have  been  of  the  best  quality.  Inside  there  are  three  galleries 
on  three  sides.  The  pulpit  was  high  and  supported  by  a  post,  and  the 
seats  had  high  and  erect  backs.     For  many  years  an  organ  occupied  the 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  359 

gallery  fronting  the  pulpit.  This  instrument  was  not  played  after  1820; 
it  was  all  out  of  tune  and  went  to  ruin."  This  was  really  the  first 
Lutheran  church  in  the  Juniata  valley.  It  is  said  that  meetings  were 
held  here  as  early  as  1776.  The  old  church  above  described  stood  until 
1847,  when  it  was  replaced  by  a  new  one,  which  was  remodeled  in  1885. 

St.  Andrew's  church,  at  Eshcol,  was  organized  about  1801,  and  in 
1806  Rev.  Frederick  Oberhauser  began  holding  regular  services  at  St. 
Andrew's,  Ickesburg,  and  other  places  in  that  section.  In  183 1  a  union 
was  formed  with  the  Shuman  Reformed  church  and  a  church  was  erected 
for  the  use  of  both  congregations. 

On  January  10,  1801,  James  Adams  deeded  two  acres  of  ground  at 
Blain  for  a  Lutheran  church  and  graveyard,  and  upon  this  tract  the  Zion 
church  was  erected  in  1816.  The  building  was  of  stone,  45  by  50  feet 
in  size,  with  a  gallery  on  three  sides,  and  Rev.  John  W.  Heim  was  the 
first  pastor.    The  cost  was  about  $5,000.    A  parsonage  was  built  in  i860. 

There  was  a  house  of  worship  of  some  kind  at  Church  Hill,  in  Tur- 
bett  township,  Juniata  county,  as  early  as  1802.  On  January  i,  1803, 
Jacob  Rice  conveyed  one  and  a  half  acres  to  the  trustees  of  the  "German 
Lutheran  Church  of  the  Tuscarora  valley,"  and  the  church  was  known  as 
"Rice's  Church."  It  is  said  to  be  the  oldest  German  church  west  of 
the  river.  In  1855  the  congregation  removed  to  Port  Royal  and  erected 
a  new  home  at  a  cost  of  about  $5,000. 

The  year  1804  witnessed  the  organization  of  several  Lutheran 
churches  in  the  Juniata  valley.  Three  or  four  years  before  that  time 
Rev.  John  G.  Butler  ^v'isited  the  town  of  Huntingdon  and  held  services 
for  the  few  Lutheran  families  there  and  the  church  was  organized  in 
1804  by  Rev.  Frederick  Haas,  who  remained  with  the  congregation  for 
about  twelve  years,  near  the  end  of  which  time  a  small  brick  church  was 
built.  After  :Mr.  Haas  left  in  1816  the  people  became  listless  and  the 
church  went  down.  In  1838  it  was  reorganized  by  a  minister  named 
Osterloh,  who  endeavored  to  exclude  everybody  but  Germans,  but  the 
plan  failed  to  work  and  again  the  congregation  lapsed  into  inactivity. 
In  1853  Rev.  P.  JNI.  Rightmyer  began  to  hold  services  in  Huntingdon, 
and  through  his  efforts  a  new  church  was  built  in  1854.  The  congre- 
gation, known  as  St.  James'  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  is  now  lo- 
cated at  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Mifflin  streets  in  a  comfortable  house 
of  worship,  built  in  1876. 


36o  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   \'ALLEY 

A  church  was  organized  in  Penn  township,  Huntingdon  county,  in 
1804,  by  Mr.  Haas  and  the  present  building  there  was  dedicated  on 
July  30,  1871 ;  a  congregation  in  Cassville  was  organized  the  same  year 
with  ten  members  and  at  first  worshipped  in  the  school  house  until 
1826.  when  a  log  church  was  Ijuilt.  which  was  replaced  by  one  of  brick 
in  1857:  and  a  church  was  built  in  Watts  township,  Perry  county,  near 
the  Half  Falls  mountain  gap. 

Services  were  held  at  Alifflintown  by  Mathias  Guntzel.  Conrad  Wal- 
ter, and  others  about  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  and  in 
1800  John  Harris'  heirs  donated  a  lot  for  a  church.  A  societ}'  was  or- 
ganized by  Rev.  George  Heim  in  1809.  and  two  years  later  a  log  house 
was  built.  This  church,  now  the  JN'Iessiah,  was  first  known  as  St.  Alary's. 
A  brick  church  was  erected  in  1838,  and  the  present  church  at  the  south- 
east corner  of  the  public  square  was  completed  about  1890.  It  is  one 
of  the  largest  and  best  appointed  churches  in  the  borougli. 

Another  Lutheran  church  organized  in  1S09  was  St.  Peter's,  at 
Landisburg.  In  December,  1815,  the  Lutheran  and  Reformed  congre- 
gations joined  together  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  church  and  the 
corner-stone  was  laid  on  April  15,  1816.  It  was  torn  down  in  1857 
and  the  brick  building  erected  in  its  stead. 

St.  John's  or  Niemond's  church  was  built  near  John  Xiemond's 
residence,  in  Monroe  township,  Juniata  county,  in  181 1.  Rev.  William 
J.  Heim  was  pastor  until  about  1833,  after  which  the  pulpit  was  sup- 
plied by  ministers  from  Richfield  or  Liverpool. 

In  1819  a  stone  house  was  built  at  Shaffersville.  which  was  used 
jointly  by  the  Lutheran  and  Reformed  churches.  After  that  there  were 
no  new  congregations  formed  nor  no  new  houses  erected  until  1828, 
when  a  Lutheran  church  was  built  at  Liverpool.  In  183 1  it  was  weather- 
boarded  and  painted,  and  a  steeple  and  bell  were  added.  In  1882  a 
new  brick  church  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $5,400,  including  the 
lot  upon  which  the  building  stands.  A  church  was  also  built  at  AUens- 
ville  in  this  year  (some  say  in  1827)  and  the  first  pastor  was  a  minister 
named  Stroh.  This  was  the  first  Lutheran  church  in  the  Kishacofpullas 
valley. 

St.  John's  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  of  ]\Iechanicsville  was  or- 
ganized in  1834  as  All  Souls'  church,  with  Rev.  Charles  Heyl  as  pastor. 
The  corner-stone  of  the  first  edifice  was  laid  on  August  2,   1834,  and 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  361 

the  house  was  of  brick.  35  by  45  feet  in  size.  On  June  12,  1880,  the 
corner-stone  of  the  present  building  was  laid  and  the  church  was  dedi- 
cated on  December  12.  1880.  It  is  considerably  larger  than  its  prede- 
cessor and  cost  about  $8,000.  The  same  year  (1834)  a  lot  was  pur- 
chased in  McAlisterville  and  in  1835  a  church  was  built.  A  German 
minister  named  Elsenmoyer  had  come  to  McAlisterville  in  1830,  preach- 
ing in  the  German  language,  the  meetings  being  held  in  the  old  school- 
house.     In  1876  a  new  brick  church  was  liuilt  on  the  site  of  the  old  one. 

The  ]\Iount  Pisgah  church,  at  Shermansdale,  was  built  in  1842  on  a 
lot  donated  by  Abraham  Jacobs.  It  was  a  frame  structure  and  was 
dedicated  on  September  24,  1842.  Meetings  had  been  held  in  this 
locality  as  early  as  1780,  and  for  several  years  the  little  congregation 
met  in  Reiber's  schoolhouse  or  attended  St.  Peter's  church  in  Spring 
township.  Rev.  Jacob  Kempfer  was  the  first  pastor  after  the  church 
was  built.  The  congregation  at  Mount  Pisgah  was  regularly  organized 
in  1839  and  the  next  year  the  Buffalo  Union  church,  two  miles  west  of 
Ickesburg.  was  established.  The  building  erected  in  that  year  was  used 
by  both  the  Lutheran  and  Reformed  congregations  until  1880,  when 
the  latter  built  a  new  brick  church. 

St.  John's  church,  near  ]^Iarkelsville.  was  also  built  in  1840.  but  was 
not  dedicated  until  April,  1841.  Rev.  John  W.  Heim  had  been  holding 
meetings  in  the  school  house  for  some  time  before  the  erection  of  the 
church.     A  new  brick  building  was  erected  in  1859-60. 

The  first  Lutheran  families  in  the  vicinity  of  Duncannon  had  to  go 
about  eight  miles  to  New  Buflialo  to  attend  services.  A  congregation 
was  organized  at  Duncannon  in  November,  1842,  and  Rev.  Andrew 
Berg  began  his  pastoral  laljors.  holding  services  in  the  ]\Iethodist  church 
once  a  month.  On  May  19.  1844,  the  corner-stone  of  the  stone  church 
was  laid  and  the  building  was  dedicated  on  the  loth  of  November  fol- 
lowing. In  June,  1885,  the  old  building  was  torn  down  and  the  present 
building  was  erected  on  the  site  at  a  cost  of  about  $2,600. 

What  is  known  as  the  Ludolph  church,  at  Elliottsburg,  Perry  county, 
was  dedicated  in  November,  1842,  and  received  its  name  from  the  fact 
that  it  was  built  upon  land  belonging  to  Ludolph  Sparks.  Services  had 
been  held  in  the  school  house  for  about  three  years  before  the  church 
was  built.  This  edifice  was  used  by  both  the  Lutherans  and  Reformed 
church  until  1869,  when  the  former  denc:)mination  built  a  new  church. 


362  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUXIATA   VALLEY 

Emmanuel's  Lutheran  church  at  Thompsontown  was  built  in  1843 
and  the  society  here  was  in  the  charge  with  ]\IcAlisterville.  The  next 
year  Lutheran  churches  were  established  at  Liverpool  and  Newport. 
Christ's  church,  at  Liverpool,  was  erected  before  the  congregation  was 
organized.  Meetings  had  been  held  here  for  a  number  of  years  before 
the  church  was  erected  and  in  the  early  part  of  the  year  1847  I^ev.  Wil- 
liam \\'eaver  completed  the  organization  and  then  served  as  pastor  for 
about  four  years.  At  Newport  Rev.  John  W.  Heim  began  holding 
meetings  about  1830  and  the  congregation  was  organized  on  January 
14,  1844.  Soon  afterward  an  arrangement  was  made  with  the  Re- 
formed and  Presbyterian  congregations  for  the  erection  of  a  "union" 
church,  which  was  dedicated  on  ]\Iay  23,  1847.  The  Reformed  congre- 
gation sold  their  interest  after  a  short  time,  and  in  1873  the  Lutherans 
sold  their  interest  to  the  Presbyterians.  A  new  church  edifice  was  then 
erected  by  the  Lutherans  at  a  cost  of  $10,000  and  fitted  with  a  pipe 
organ,  the  first  in  the  Synod  of  Central  Pennsylvania. 

St.  David's  church,  about  five  miles  southwest  of  Duncannon,  was 
organized  at  the  Fio  Forge  school  house  early  in  1845  ^^3'  ^s^'-  L.  T. 
Williams.  Before  the  close  of  the  year  a  frame  house,  known  as  the 
union  meeting-house,  was  completed.  Other  denominations  assisted  in 
its  erection,  hence  the  name,  but  to  the  Lutherans  it  was  known  as 
St.  David's. 

Li  1848  Samuel  Barr  donated  a  lot  at  Lilleyville  to  the  trustees  of 
the  Lutheran  and  German  Reformed  congregation  and  the  corner-stone 
of  a  building  was  laid  on  November  3.  1849.  The  building  was  dedi- 
cated on  June  16,  1851,  and  Rev.  J.  P.  Shindel  was  installed  as  pastor 
of  the  Lutherans.  This  is  known  as  "Samuel's  church,"  so  called  for 
the  man  who  donated  the  site.  It  was  the  second  Lutheran  church  to 
be  erected  in  Decatur  township,  the  first  having  been  commenced  on 
Jack's  creek,  near  Soradoville,  in  1820,  by  the  Lutheran  and  German 
Reformed  congregations,  but  strife  arose  before  the  building  was  com- 
pleted, and  not  until  1837  was  a  house  of  worship  finished.  It  is  known 
as  the  Stroup  church,  and  after  a  few  years  passed  entirely  to  the 
Lutherans. 

Another  church  that  was  organized  in  1848  is  St.  James,  of  New- 
burg,  Huntingdon  county,  which  was  organized  by  Rev.  J.  N.  Burket. 
^vho  came  to  that  neighborhood  as  a  missionarv.     On  November  20, 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  363 

1859,  the  church  was  reorganized  and  a  frame  building  was  erected 
in  1867. 

An  Evangelical  Lutheran  congregation  was  organized  in  the  Stand- 
ing Stone  valley  and  a  church  was  dedicated  on  November  7,  1849,  a 
short  distance  northeast  of  AIcAlevy's  Fort,  where  a  church  of  the  same 
faith  had  been  established  some  five  or  six  years  before. 

St.  Samuel's  church,  at  ]\Iarkelsville.  was  first  organized  in  the  Rac- 
coon valley,  but  was  removed  to  Markelsville  and  reorganized  in  March, 
1850,  by  Rev.  William  Weaver.  The  corner-stone  of  a  frame  church 
was  laid  on  September  26,  1851,  and  the  building  was  finished  before 
the  close  of  the  year.  Willow  Grove  church,  near  Lack,  Juniata  county, 
was  also  organized  in  1850.  Some  years  later  it  was  turned  over  to 
the  Methodists. 

A  Lutheran  church  with  a  seating  capacity  of  about  400  was  built  at 
Yeagertown  in  185 1,  with  Rev.  Charles  ^I.  Klink  as  pastor,  but  the 
organization  was  not  fully  perfected  until  1854.  In  the  latter  year  a 
brick  edifice  was  erected  for  the  Lutheran  congregation  at  Vandyke. 

In  1855  St.  Paul's  Lutheran  church  was  organized  at  Andersonburg 
by  Rev.  Reuben  W'eiser,  the  members  having  formerly  belonged  to  the 
churches  at  Blain  and  Loysville.  The  corner-stone  of  a  brick  edifice  was 
laid  on  May  27,  1855,  and  the  building  was  dedicated  on  December  22nd, 
of  the  same  year.  This  church  is  on  the  road  leading  from  New  Bloom- 
field  to  Blain,  about  five  miles  west  of  Loysville. 

In  1857  the  Lutherans  living  at  ^Milroy  and  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
bought  the  old  ^lethodist  church  and  fitted  it  up  as  a  place  of  wor- 
ship. It  was  used  until  August  25,  1872,  when  the  present  church  was 
dedicated.  Mount  Zion  church,  at  Landisburg,  was  built  in  1857,  or 
was  commenced  in  that  year.  It  was  not  dedicated  until  Alay  30,  1858, 
when  Rev.  Philip  Willard  was  installed  as  pastor.  The  building  cost 
about  $2,400. 

In  1858  Blount  Zion  church,  in  Henderson  township,  Huntingdon 
■county,  was  organized.  For  years  prior  to  that  time  the  Lutherans  liv- 
ing in  the  vicinity  of  Mill  Creek  had  been  attending  church  at  Belleville 
or  McAlevy's  fort.  In  1858  they  leased  the  old  Baptist  church  at  Mill 
Creek  and  organized  a  congregation.  In  1874  the  churches  at  Mill 
Creek,  McAlevy's  Fort  and  !Mount  Zion,  in  Henderson  township,  were 
amited  as  one  congregation. 


364  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   \' ALLEY 

The  Licking  Creek  Lutheran  church  was  organized  by  persons  who 
had  formerly  belonged  at  Mifflintown  and  a  building  was  erected  for 
the  new  congregation  in  186 1,  with  Rev.  R.  H.  Fletcher  as  pastor.  Its 
official  name  is  St.  Stephen's,  but  it  is  generally  called  the  Licking  Creek 
church. 

Water  Street  church  was  organized  early  in  the  nineteenth  century. 
In  1868  a  number  of  members  of  this  congregation  who  lived  near 
Petersburg  withdrew  and  organized  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church 
in  that  borough.  The  same  year  a  neat  frame  house  was  erected  at  a 
cost  of  $2,000. 

The  Lutheran  church  at  Marysville  was  organized  in  1870,  with 
twenty-five  members,  and  the  church  at  Reedsville  was  organized  in 
1890.    There  is  also  a  Lutheran  church  at  Burnham. 

REFORMED     CHURCH. 

As  early  as  1798  a  few  settlers  of  this  faith  had  located  in  the  Canoe 
and  Sinking  valleys,  in  Huntingdon  county,  and  Rev.  John  D.  Aura<idt 
came  to  them  as  a  minister.  A  small  congregation  was  organized  and 
Keller  chapel  was  built.  About  18 19  it  was  succeeded  by  a  stone  church. 
Members  of  this  denomination  settled  in  Perry  county  also  at  an  early 
date,  and  in  1798  they  united  with  the  Lutherans  in  the  erection  of  the 
old  log  structure  known  as  the  Union  Church,  its  site  now  being  within 
the  borough  limits  of  New  Bloomfield.  The  old  house  was  torn  down 
in  1857  and  the  lot  divided,  the  Reformed  church  taking  the  eastern 
half.  The  corner-stone  of  Trinity  Reformed  church  was  laid  on  Sep- 
tember 30.  1856,  and  the  building  was  dedicated  on  September  20,  1857, 
when  Rev.  Samuel  C.  Kuhn  was  pastor. 

Zion  Reformed  church,  at  Blain.  was  organized  in  1798  by  a  min- 
ister named  Koutz  and  a  church  was  built  in  connection  with  the 
Lutherans  in  1816.  The  history  of  this  church  is  given  in  connection 
with  the  Lutherans. 

The  first  house  of  worship  in  Lewistown  was  erected  by  the  Asso- 
ciate Reformed  church,  but  the  history  of  the  congregation  seems  to 
have  been  lost.  The  building  stood  on  the  south  side  of  Third  street, 
between  Brown  and  Dorcas  streets.  About  1847  it  was  sold  to  the 
Baptists,  who  returned  it  to  the  original  owners  after  a  few  years,  when 
it  was  sold  to  James  Burns,  who  converted  it  into  dwellings. 


HISTORY    OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  365 

About  1806  the  first  Reformed  sermon  was  preached  in  Huntingdon 
and  the  first  church  of  this  faith  was  organized  there  in  1S15.  It  was 
reorganized  in  July,  1845,  and  a  church  was  erected  on  the  corner  of 
Sixth  and  Church  streets  about  1858,  where  the  congregation  still  wor- 
ships. 

Christ's  church,  in  Alexandria,  was  established  in  181 7  and  a  house 
of  worship  was  built,  which  was  used  by  both  the  Lutheran  and  Re- 
formed congregations  for  a  number  of  years.  Rev.  J.  D.  Aurandt  was 
the  first  pastor  of  the  Reformed  church  at  this  place.  A  new  church  was 
built  in  1847. 

At  Loysville  Rev.  Jacob  Scholl  organized  a  congregation  about  18 19 
and  served  as  pastor  until  1841,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Charles 
Leinbach.  This  congregation  met  in  the  same  house  as  the  Lutherans. 
About  a  year  after  this  congregation  was  organized  a  Reformed  church 
was  built  at  Soradoville,  an  account  of  which  is  given  in  connection  with 
the  Lutherans. 

Christ's  Reformed  church,  at  Newport,  was  organized  by  Rev.  Jacob 
Scholl,  the  first  regular  pastor,  in  1820.  The  congregation  owned  a 
one-third  interest  in  the  old  Union  church,  the  other  interests  being 
owned  by  the  Lutherans  and  Presbyterians.  In  1S69  the  Reformed 
people  sold  their  interest  to  the  other  denominations  and  built  a  new 
house  of  worship  at  a  cost  of  about  $7,000.  A  parsonage  was  built 
in  1874,  at  a  cost  of  about  $3,000.  The  Sunday  school  was  organized 
soon  after  the  new  church  was  completed. 

Rev.  Jonathan  Zeiler  organized  a  congregation  at  McConnellstown 
in  1834  and  a  handsome  brick  church  was  erected  in  1847.  -'^  church 
was  established  at  Marklesburg  in  1842  and  the  succeeding  year  Zion 
church  was  organized  by  Rev.  Theobald  Fouse,  the  exact  date  of  the 
organization  being  October  28,  1843.  This  church  was  about  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile  from  Marklesburg  and  it  was  not  long  until  the  two 
congregations  were  consolidated. 

Trinity  Reformed  church,  in  Landisburg,  was  organized  in  1850, 
most  of  the  members  coming  from  the  old  Lebanon  church  at  Loysville. 
Rev.  Jacob  Scholl  was  the  first  pastor.  Soon  after  the  church  was  organ- 
ized a  house  of  worship  was  erected  on  Carlisle  street,  where  the  con- 
gregation still  holds  its  services.  Two  years  after  the  organization  of 
this  church  the  St.   James  Reformed  and  Lutheran  church  was  estab- 


366  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUXIATA    \'ALLEY 

lished  in  Susquehanna  township,  Juniata  county,  and  a  small  clnirch  was 
built  on  Jobson's  run,  near  the  southwest  corner  of  the  township. 

Reformed  churches  were  established  at  Duncannon  and  Alarysville 
in  1868.  ]\Iost  of  the  members  of  the  Duncannon  came  from  the  old  St. 
David  congregation.  The  house  that  had  been  erected  by  the  United 
Presbyterians  was  purchased  and  with  some  changes  still  constitutes  the 
place  of  worship.  At  ]Marysville  the  name  of  Trinity  Reformed  church 
■was  adopted  and  in  1870  a  church  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $4,500.  It 
has  been  described  as  "a  fine  frame  structure  of  the  Gothic  style  of 
architecture,  with  a  cupola  and  a  spire." 

St.  John's,  at  Elliottsburg,  had  its  beginning  in  1872,  when  a  lot  was 
purchased  from  William  Sheibley,  and  the  corner-stone  of  the  church 
edifice  was  laid  on  ^lay  19,  1872.  The  church  was  dedicated  on  October 
13,  1872,  and  Rev.  E.  V.  Gerhardt  was  the  first  pastor.  The  church 
building  cost  $2,950. 

Trinity  Reformed  church,  at  Sandy  Hill,  Perry  county,  was  organ- 
ized on  September  14,  1873,  and  worshiped  in  the  school  house  until 
the  church  could  be  built.     The  building  was  dedicated  on  January  3, 

1875- 

Trinity  Reformed  church,  at  Lewistown,  was   organized   in   1901, 

and  a  handsome  house  of  worship  has  been  built  on  Oak  street,  between 

A'alley  and  Logan  streets. 

BAPTISTS 

Probably  the  first  Baptist  society  in  the  Juniata  valley  was  the  one 
organized  in  what  is  now  Cass  township.  Huntingdon  county.  It  was 
established  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  but  the  exact 
date  is  not  certain,  and  was  called  the  Huntingdon  Baptist  church,  indi- 
cating that  it  was  the  first  in  the  county.  The  Baptists  at  ^lill  Creek 
were  holding  meetings  as  earl}'  as  1790  and  an  organization  was  effected 
before  1800.  In  that  year  a  small  log  meeting  house  was  erected,  which 
was  replaced  by  a  new  one  in  1835  and  the  old  house  was  sold  to  the 
Lutherans.     A  third  house  of  worship  was  built  in  1857. 

On  June  9,  1794,  a  lot  of  one  acre  was  conveyed  by  \\'illiam  Patton 
to  the  trustees  of  "the  Baptist  congregation  of  jMilford  township  (Jun- 
iata county),  to  erect  a  house  of  worship."  This  was  known  as  the 
Spruce  Hill  church.     A  small  log  house  was  built,  but  was  abandoned  in 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  367 

a  few  years,  the  members  going  to  strengthen  another  congregation  on 
Licking  creek,  near  the  old  forge. 

An  Old  School  Baptist  congregation  was  organized  in  Springfield 
township,  Huntingdon  county,  in  1800,  but  little  can  be  learned  of  its 
history.  A  number  of  Welsh  Baptists  organized  a  church  at  an  earl}^ 
date  near  the  present  borough  of  Dudley,  but  it  has  long  been  extinct. 

The  church  at  Birmingham  was  organized  in  1822  by  Rev.  Richard 
Proudfoot,  who  had  been  holding  meetings  in  that  section  for  some  time 
before  that  date.  About  1826  a  church  was  erected  and  it  prospered  for 
a  number  of  years.  After  the  completion  of  the  railroad  the  business 
that  formerly  came  to  Birmingham  w-as  diverted  to  other  places,  and  as 
the  town  declined  the  church  went  down  until  it  was  finally  abandoned 
in  1862. 

Rev.  Samuel  Lane,  a  Baptist  minister  "of  more  than  ordinary  energy 
and  public  spirit,"  established  a  church  at  Saltillo  early  in  the  nineteenth 
century,  but  it  appears  that  no  record  of  the  congregation  has  been  pre- 
served, either  as  to  the  date  of  its  organization  or  its  abandonment. 

The  Shaver's  Creek  Baptist  church  was  organized  in  1833,  with 
fourteen  members,  as  a  result  of  the  labors  of  Rev.  Richard  Proudfoot, 
who  was  the  first  pastor.    A  church  was  built  near  Fairfield  in  183S. 

The  First  Baptist  Church  of  Lewistown  was  organized  on  Septem- 
ber 21,  1840,  with  eleven  members.  Rev.  Alexander  Gamble  was  the 
first  pastor,  but  he  remained  only  a  short  time,  when  he  was  succeeded 
by  Rev.  David  Williams,  who  gave  the  new  church  one-fourth  of  his 
time.  The  church  was  incorporated  on  January  i,  1849.  Some  time 
before  that  the  property  of  the  Associate  Reformed  congregation.  Third 
street,  had  been  purchased,  but  the  society  was  not  able  to  pay  for  it 
and  it  was  returned  to  the  original  owners.  It  was  rented  by  the  Bap- 
tists until  the  spring  of  1854,  after  which  services  were  held  in  the 
Lutheran  church.  During  the  Civil  war  the  society  almost  lost  its  or- 
ganization, but  in  1 87 1  Rev.  W.  Z.  Coulter  became  pastor  and  the 
church  was  revived.  Ten  years  later  a  lot  was  purchased  on  the  north 
side  of  Third  street,  between  Brown  and  Dorcas,  and  the  present  church 
edifice  was  dedicated,  free  of  debt,  on  December  16,  1883.  The  building- 
was  rebuilt  and  enlarged  in  1902. 

A  Baptist  society  was  organized  at  Lockport,  or  Three  Locks,  in 
1840,  and  was  served  by  the  preacher  from  Lewistown.     Meetings  were 


368  HISTORY    OF   THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY 

held  in  the  ^Methodist  church  and  John  Ickes'  store  until  184J,  when  a 
lot  was  bought  from  Robert  Hope  and  a  church  edifice  was  erected. 

During  the  decade  from  1830  to  1840  several  Baptist  ministers 
visited  the  scattered  members  of  that  faith  living  in  the  valleys  of  Hunt- 
ingdon county,  and  in  1842  the  Stone  Creek  Baptist  church  was  organ- 
ized, with  Rev.  ^^^  M.  Jones  as  pastor.  On  August  30,  1842,  the  First 
Baptist  Church  of  Huntingdon  was  regularly  organized,  though  services 
had  been  held  prior  to  that  time  by  Revs.  \V.  M.  Jones,  Richard  Proud- 
foot  and  others.  The  next  year  the  congregation  was  taken  into  fellow- 
ship with  the  Centre  Baptist  Association.  Aleetings  were  held  in  the 
old  court-house  and  the  old  L'nited  Presbyterian  church  on  Alifflin  street. 
In  Januar}',  1850,  Rev.  David  ^^'illiams  became  pastor  and  soon  after  a 
small  church  was  erected  on  Washington  street,  between  Eighth  and 
Ninth,  The  church  was  incorporated  on  November  20.  1865.  In  1874 
the  lot  where  the  present  church  stands,  on  the  corner  of  Sixth  and 
2\Iifflin  streets,  was  purchased  and  the  building  was  erected  in  1876.  It 
has  since  been  remodeled  and  enlarged  to  meet  the  reciuirements  of  the 


congregation. 


GERMAN    BAPTISTS.   OR   BRETHREN 


This  denomination,  also  called  Dunkers  or  Dunkards,  marks  its  be- 
ginning in  the  Juniata  valley  with  the  organization  of  the  Aughwick 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  which  was  organized  in  1802,  with  six  mem- 
bers— Christian  Long.  Daniel  and  Peter  Secrist  and  their  wives.  No 
further  record  of  organizations  of  this  faith  can  be  found  until  1841, 
when  a  church  known  as  the  "Good-will  German  Baptist  ]\Ieeting-house" 
was  built  in  Fayette  township,  Juniata  county.  Prior  to  that  date  meet- 
ings had  been  held  at  David  Shellenberger's  house  and  at  other  houses 
in  the  neighborhood.  Mr.  Shellenberger,  who  was  something  of  a  local 
preacher,  was  active  in  the  establishment  of  the  church.  Solomon  Kauff- 
man,  Andrew  Bashore  and  Solomon  Sieber  were  among  the  early 
preachers  at  the  Good-will  church. 

Rev.  John  Shinefelt  began  holding  meetings  about  James  Creek, 
Huntingdon  county,  some  time  between  1840  and  1850.  In  1858  the 
James  Creek  church  of  the  Brethren  was  organized,  and  two  years  later 
a  new  house  of  worship  was  built  near  Marklesburg  and  not  far  from 
the  line  of  the  Huntingdon  &  Broad  Top  railroad. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUXL\TA   VALLEY  369 

In  i860  the  Brethren  of  Marklesburg  organized  a  congregation  and 
soon  afterward  erected  a  house  of  worsliip.  Among  the  early  ministers 
here  were  Revs.  John  Shinefelt,  Christian  Hoover,  John  Martin,  John 
Hoover  and  George  Brumbaugh.  Elder  Isaac  Brumbaugh,  who  died  on 
November  4,  1871,  is  still  remembered  as  an  earnest  and  faithful  worker. 

The  Free  Spring  German  Baptist  church,  located  near  \'an  Wert, 
Juniata  county,  was  organized  about  i860,  and  a  brick  edifice  was 
erected  in  1861.  Twenty  years  later  the  congregation  numbered  about 
three  hundred  members,  and  the  church  is  still  in  a  prosperous  condi- 
tion.    Rev.  Solomon  Sieber  was  pastor  here  for  many  years. 

In  1874  a  congregation  was  organized  in  the  southwestern  part  of 
Huntingdon  county,  and  it  is  known  as  the  Raystown  Branch  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  The  following  year  the  few  German  Baptists  living 
in  the  vicinity  of  Richfield,  Juniata  county,  bought  the  old  brick  school 
house  and  fitted  it  up  for  a  church.  It  was  for  some  time  under  the 
same  pastoral  charge  as  the  Good-will  church  mentioned  above.  In 
1876  a  new  house  was  built  on  Coffee  run  for  the  use  of  the  James 
Creek  congregation.  Two  years  later,  in  1878,  some  of  the  members 
withdrew  from  this  church  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  one  in  Hunt- 
ingdon. Among  them  were  some  of  the  Brumbaughs  and  others  promi- 
nent in  the  work  of  Juniata  College,  which  was  then  in  its  infancy. 
Services  were  at  first  held  in  the  college  chapel.  In  1909  a  beautiful 
and  commodious  edifice  was  erected  near  the  college.  Here  the  students 
of  the  college  attend  services. 

A  congregation  of  German  Baptists  was  organized  in  Lewistown  in 
1897,  and  a  year  or  two  later  a  neat  church  edifice  was  erected  on 
Shaw  avenue,  between  Spruce  and  Pine  streets. 

MENNONITES 

This  peculiar  sect  was  founded  in  the  year  1536  by  ]\Ienno  Simonis, 
who  had  formerly  been  a  Catholic  priest.  For  many  years  the  new  de- 
nomination was  persecuted  by  practically  every  nation  of  Europe,  and 
when  William  Penn  became  the  proprietor  of  Pennsylvania  he  offered 
them  an  asylum.  The  first  Mennonites  came  to  America  in  1683  and 
settled  at  Germantown,  from  which  point  they  gradually  moved  west- 
ward. Some  years  later  a  branch  called  the  Reformed  Alennonite  So- 
ciety left  the  original  organization,  claiming  that  it  had  departed  from 


370  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUXIATA   A"ALLEY 

the  teachings  of  the  founder,  and  in  the  seventeenth  century  another 
branch  was  formed,  calhng  themselves  the  Amish.  after  Jacob  Amen, 
the  founder,  a  ]\Iennonite  preacher  in  Switzerland.  The  first  ^lennonite 
society  in  the  Juniata  valley  was  formed  in  ilonroe  township,  Juniata 
county,  before  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century.  In  1800  a  log  meet- 
ing-house was  built,  which  was  used  both  as  a  church  and  a  school  house 
until  about  181 5,  when  the  school  was  discontinued.  The  house  was 
then  used  for  religious  meetings  until  1868,  when  a  brick  house  was 
erected  near  Richfield.  Shortly  after  the  Civil  war  a  ^Nlennonite  society 
was  organized  near  East  Salem,  and  what  is  known  as  the  Delaware 
meeting-house  was  built  there  in  1870.  Rev.  Jacob  Graybill  was  one 
of  the  first  preachers.  Lytle  writes  of  a  ^lennonite  congregation  that 
worshiped  at  the  Union  church  in  Penn  township.  Huntingdon  county, 
which  he  says  embraced  "a  small  but  highly  respectable  membership," 
but  he  does  not  give  the  date  of  its  organization.  Early  in  the  nineteenth 
century  a  number  of  Amish  settled  in  the  Kishacocjuillas  valley.  They 
do  not  build  many  churches,  their  principal  meeting-houses  being  the 
Locust  Grove  church  and  the  one  at  MattaAvana. 

rXITED    BRETHREN 

The  first  church  of  this  denomination  in  the  Juniata  valley  of  which 
any  definite  knowledge  can  be  gained  was  established  in  Perry  county, 
on  the  road  leading  from  New  Bloomfield  to  Duncannon,  in  1S14.  with 
Rev.  John  Snyder  as  pastor.  The  house  built  in  that  year  was  a  Union 
church,  which  was  used  by  the  ^Methodists  as  well  as  the  United  Brethren. 
In  1840  a  congregation  was  organized  at  Richfield  and  united  with  the 
Evangelical  and  IMethodist  churches  in  the  erection  of  a  church  near 
Auker's  mill  on  the  Alahantango  creek.  This  house  was  used  until  1874, 
when  the  United  Brethren  built  a  brick  structure  at  Richfield.  In  1842 
Rev.  John  Snyder  held  services  in  a  church  which  had  just  been  erected 
near  Sherniansdale.  ^Meetings  had  been  held  in  private  houses  in  this 
vicinity  as  early  as  1835.  The  year  1840  witnessed  a  great  revival 
among  the  United  Brethren  and  the  Sherniansdale  congregation  was  or- 
ganized in  that  year.  In  1878  a  new  house  of  worship  and  parsonage 
were  built  in  Sherniansdale. 

On  January  i,  1845,  '^  church  of  this  denomination  was  dedicated 
in  ^^'avne  township.  ^Nlifllin  count}-,  about  three  miles  southwest  of  ilc- 


HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA  VALLEY  371 

Ve3'town,  where  a  small  congregation  had  been  organized  the  year 
before.  This  church  has  never  been  very  strong  and  has  undergone 
many  struggles  to  maintain  its  organization. 

The  church  at  Warriors  Mark  was  organized  in  1S50  by  Rev.  R.  G. 
Rankin.  Services  were  held  in  the  school  house  for  several  years,  but 
in  i860  Bethesda  chapel  was  dedicated.  At  Duncannon  a  United 
Brethren  church  was  built  in  1851,  with  Rev.  William  Raber  as  pastor. 
In  1858  the  Orbisonia  church  was  built  and  George  W.  Scott  installed 
as  the  first  pastor.  Before  that  time  meetings  had  been  held  here  by 
Rev.  R.  G.  Rankin.  J.  W.  Bonebrake,  William  Shepherd  and  others. 
The  same  year  a  congregation  was  organized  in  the  northern  part  of 
Cass  township,  Huntingdon  county,  and  a  church  building  was  erected 
in  1868  near  the  village  of  Calvin. 

The  first  meetings  of  this  denomination  in  Marysville  were  held  in 
1866.  Before  the  close  of  that  year  a  congregation  was  organized  and 
a  few  years  later  a  house  of  worship  was  erected.  In  1882  the  house 
was  struck  by  lightning,  which  led  to  thorough  repairs  being  made,  and 
the  building  as  thus  improved  is  still  in  use. 

In  1869  a  few  members  of  this  faith  began  holding  meetings  in  the 
basement  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Mount  Union,  with  Rev.  J.  R. 
Shearer  as  their  preacher.  Within  a  few  months  a  congregation  was 
organized,  and  on  January  7.  1872.  the  church  building  was  dedicated. 
At  Birmingham  the  United  Brethren  church  was  erected  in  1S71,  the 
congregation  having  been  organized  the  year  before. 

Fourteen  persons  belonging  to  the  United  Brethren  denomination 
began  holding  meetings  at  private  residences  in  the  borough  of  Hunt- 
ingdon in  1871.  Later  in  the  year  a  small  house  of  worship  was 
erected  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Twelfth  and  ]MifiIin  streets,  where 
the  services  are  still  held.  Rev.  Martin  P.  Doyle  was  one  of  the  early 
pastors  of  this  church  and  did  much  to  start  it  on  the  highway  to  pros- 
perity and  a  useful  career. 

PROTESTANT    EPISCOP.\L   CHURCH 

This  denomination  has  never  been  very  strong  in  the  Juniata  val- 
ley, and  from  the  meager  data  at  hand  regarding  its  earlv  history  it 
is  difficult  to  determine  where  the  first  congregation  was  organized.  In 
1820  Rev.  Charles  Snowden  preached  in  the  old  court-house  at  Lewis- 


372  HISTORY    OF   THE   JUXIATA   A'ALLEY 

town,  and  about  the  same  time  the  initiative  steps  were  taken  toward 
the  organization  of  a  church  in  Huntingdon.  In  the  spring  of  1823 
Rev.  Norman  Nash  was  sent  out  from  Philadelphia  to  organize  the 
parish  at  Lewistown,  which  was  done,  and  the  same  year  application 
was  made  to  the  legislature  for  a  charter  of  incorporation,  which  was 
granted  on  January  2,  1824.  Soon  after  the  incorporation  a  lot  was 
secured  on  South  Main  street  and  a  chapel  erected.  The  parsonage 
adjoining  the  church  was  the  gift  of  Elias  W.  Hale"s  daughters.  This 
church  is  known  as  St.  Mark's  and  the  property  is  now  valued  at  $10,000. 
In  the  meantime  the  Episcopalians  of  Huntingdon  united  with  the 
Presbyterians  and  Lutherans  in  the  erection  of  a  house  of  worship  at 
the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Church  streets,  which  must  have  been  built 
about  1820,  as  in  1826  the  interest  of  the  Episcopal  church  was  sold  by 
the  sheriff  upon  failure  of  the  different  denominations  to  agree  as  to 
the  adjustment  of  the  church  debt.  A  little  later  the  Episcopal  con- 
gregation secured  a  lot  opposite  the  present  court-house  on  Penn  street, 
where  they  erected  St.  John's  Protestant  Episcopal  church,  in  or  about 

1845- 

About  1824  the  few  Episcopalians  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Thomp- 
sontown  invited  a  minister  named  Baker  to  hold  meetings  there.  His 
work  bore  fruit  in  the  organization  of  a  congregation  and  in  1828  the 
stone  church  edifice  at  Thompsontown  was  erected.  Rev.  Charles  Snow- 
den  was  one  of  the  early  pastors  of  this  church.  After  several  vears 
of  struggle  the  church  was  discontinued,  and  in  1840  the  building  be- 
came the  property  of  the  United  Presbyterians. 

Trinity  Episcopal  church,  at  the  old  village  of  Locke's  Mills.  M{i- 
flin  county,  was  dedicated  on  October  28,  1848.  Three  years  before 
that  time  services  began  in  the  Beatty  school  house.  The  church  con- 
tinued until  about  1863.  when  it  was  abandoned  as  a  place  of  worship 
and  the  members  transferred  their  affiliations  to  St.  INIark's  at  Lewis- 
town. 

In  Newport  the  first  Episcopal  services  were  held  at  the  residence 
of  Mrs.  Bechtel  on  March  28,  1875.  A  Sunday  school  was  organized 
that  spring,  with  ten  pupils.  A  year  later  it  numbered  about  125,  and 
in  that  year  a  congregation  was  regularly  organized.  About  a  year 
later  an  Episcopal  mission  was  organized  at  Orbisonia  by  Bishop  Howe. 
Services  were  at  first  held  in  the  Ignited  Brethren  church  and  later  in 


HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  373 

the  Presbyterian,  until  the  congregation  became  strong  enough  to  build 
one  for  themselves. 

CHURCH    OF    GOD 

This  denomination  is  also  known  as  the  Winebrennarians,  from  its 
founder.  Rev.  John  W'inebrenner,  who  preached  at  Landisburg  on  April 
10,  1 82 1,  the  first  sermon  of  this  faith  in  the  Juniata  valley.  In  1828 
Rev.  Henry  Wingert,  of  Landisburg,  began  preaching  and  in  1832  a 
regular  church  was  organized.  Services  were  held  in  the  school  house 
until  1836,  when  Mr.  Wingert  erected  a  small  chapel  at  his  own  ex- 
pense. In  1842  a  brick  house  was  built  and  it  gave  way  to  the  present 
one  in  1873. 

In  1833  a  congregation  was  organized  by  Rev.  Archibald  Young 
at  the  house  of  John  Soule,  near  Lebo.  Perry  county.  Services  were 
held  in  dwellings  and  school  houses  until  about  1850.  when  a  small 
church  was  built  on  land  donated  by  Mr.  Soule.  This  church  was 
named  Bethel,  but  is  also  known  as  the  Oak  Grove  church.  In  1878 
a  new  house  was  erected  upon  the  site  of  the  old  one. 

The  first  meetings  of  this  denomination  were  held  at  Marysville  in 
1850,  but  no  church  was  organized  until  1866.  In  1869  a  neat  frame 
house  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $2,500. 

Thomas  Ashton  built  a  small  chapel  in  Springfield  township,  Hunt- 
ingdon county,  in  1855,  in  which  services  were  held  by  such  ministers 
as  could  be  secured.  A  regular  congregation  was  organized  some  years 
later,  though  little  can  be  learned  of  its  history.  The  year  following 
the  erection  of  Ashton's  chapel.  Bethel  church,  with  a  small  graveyard 
adjoining,  was  built  on  the  road  leading  from  Newport  to  Millerstown, 
about  a  mile  from  the  former  town. 

Seventeen  persons  of  this  faith  began  holding  meetings  at  a  little 
hamlet  called  Beavertown,  Huntingdon  county,  in  1867.  For  a  short 
time  they  met  in  the  school  house,  but  in  1868  a  small  church  was  built. 
Beavertown  does  not  appear  on  modern  maps,  and  the  exact  location 
of  this  church  is  largely  a  matter  of  conjecture,  none  being  able  to  iden- 
tify its  exact  site. 

In  IMay,  1871.  a  few  believers  in  the  creed  of  this  church  secured 
the  use  of  the  Lower  Duncannon  school  house  and  had  Rev.  J.  M. 
Speece,  of  Shippensburg,  preach  to  them.     The  following  vear  a  con- 


374  HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

gregation  was  organized,  a  lot  was  purchased  on  Lincoln  street  and 
Bethel  church  was  erected. 

The  church  at  Coalmont  was  organized  in  August,  1879,  with  Daniel 
Abbot  as  elder  and  John  A.  Hicks  as  deacon.  The  membership  was 
only  ten  at  the  beginning,  but  this  number  increased,  and  in  a  few 
years  a  neat  house  of  worship  was  built. 

At  Hartman"s  Mills,  or  Glenvale,  Perry  county,  a  Church  of  God 
was  built  in  1882  at  a  cost  of  $1,800,  though  meetings  had  for  some 
time  previous  been  held  in  dwellings  or  the  school  house.  Rev.  David 
Maxwell  was  one  of  the  first  ministers  in  this  church. 

EVANGELICAL    CHURCH 

The  first  congregation  of  this  denomination  in  the  Juniata  valley,  so 
far  as  can  be  ascertained,  was  organized  at  Newport  in  1843.  ^^  i849 
they  bought  the  old  Methodist  church,  which  was  used  until  187S,  when 
the  present  brick  house  of  worship  was  erected,  at  a  cost  of  $2,500. 
Rev.  D.  W.  Miller  was  the  first  regular  pastor. 

In  1846  the  Bethel  church  of  the  Evangelical  Association  was  built 
in  Rye  township,  Perry  county,  at  a  cost  of  $800.  Salem  church,  in 
the  same  township,  was  built  in  1856.  Meetings  were  held  in  a  log 
house  about  a  mile  up  the  valley  from  Alarysville  as  early  as  1838,  but 
this  building  was  torn  down  in  1867,  after  Bethel  and  Salem  churches 
had  been  established  and  the  Emanuel  Evangelical  church  had  been 
built  in  Marysville  in  1866.  The  last  named  building  was  erected  on 
a  lot  donated  by  Theodore  and  Alargaretta  Fenn  and  was  dedicated  on 
December  23,  1866. 

The  church  at  Locust  run,  Juniata  county,  was  built  in  1861,  though 
services  had  been  held  there  for  some  time  before  the  church  was 
erected.  The  Stony  Point  church,  in  Madison  township,  Perry  county, 
was  built  in  1863.  Several  young  men  of  this  congregation  afterward 
became  ministers. 

About  1 86 1  a  small  church,  known  as  the  Bethlehem  Evangelical, 
was  built  in  Greenwood  township,  Juniata  county,  on  the  road  leading 
from  Salem  to  the  Seven  Star  tavern.  It  was  at  first  under  the  charge 
of  Rev.  Mr.  King,  of  the  Thompsontown  district,  and  at  the  time  of  its 
erection  was  the  only  church  in  the  township. 

In  Lewistown  a  society  of  this  faith  was  organized  in  1876  by  Rev. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  375 

Samuel  Seibert,  though  meetings  had  been  regularly  held  for  about  two 
years  before  that  time.  In  1882  a  brick  chapel  was  built  on  Logan 
street,  opposite  the  Presbyterian  cemetery,  at  a  cost  of  $2,000.  Some 
years  later  it  was  removed  to  make  way  for  the  present  Grace  United 
Evangelical  church,  which  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $20,000. 

Evangelical  churches  were  built  in  the  New  Lancaster  valley,  in 
Mifflin  county,  in  1872,  and  at  Patterson  (now  Mifflin),  Juniata  county, 
in   1874,  though  little  can  be  learned  concerning  them. 

REFORMED   CHURCH    OF    AMERICA 

In  Huntingdon  county  there  are  a  few  congregations  bearing  this 
name.  The  first  was  organized  at  Orbisonia  in  1858  by  Rev.  S.  H. 
Reed;  one  was  organized  at  Saltillo  in  1880,  in  the  old  Union  Hall, 
which  was  free  to  all  denominations.  A  church  was  built  at  Orbisonia 
in  1876.  There  are  perhaps  others,  but,  as  stated  in  the  beginning  of 
this  chapter,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  obtain  accurate  information  con- 
cerning many  of  the  minor  denominations  or  their  small  congregations. 
No  doubt  some  church  organizations  have  been  unintentionally  omitted 
from  this  chapter,  merely  because  they  have  left  no  record  of  their 
transactions. 

HEBREW    CONGREGATION 

The  first  Jewish  congregation  in  the  Juniata  valley  was  organized 
at  Lewistown  and  received  a  charter  in  January,  19 13.  ^Meetings  are 
held  regularly  on  the  top  floor  of  the  Woolner  building,  at  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  Diamond.  On  June  15,  19 13,  an  association  was 
formed  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  synagogue.  Of  this  association 
Henrv  Schurman  was  chosen  chairman  and  Charles  Gershman  secretary. 


CHAPTER    XIX 

CHARITIES    AND    FRATERNITIES 

Loysville  Orphans'  Home — Huntingdon  Home  for  Orphans  and  Friendless  Children — 
Lewistown  Hospital — Blair  Memorial  Hospital — Masonic  Bodies — Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows — Grand  Army  of  the  Republic — Veterans'  Reunion  Asso- 
ciation— Knights  of  Pythias — Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America — American 
Mechanics — Miscellaneous  Benevolent  Societies. 

IF  few  eleemosynary  institutions  have  been  established  within  tiie 
district  embraced  in  this  work,  it  is  not  because  the  people  of  the 
Juniata  valley  are  not  charitably  inclined,  but  rather  for  the  reason 
that  the  necessity  for  the  establishment  of  such  institutions  has  never 
assumed  an  urgent  character.  In  the  chapters  relating  to  county  history 
will  be  found  accounts  of  the  county  poor- farms  and  alms-houses.  X'^ext 
to  these  official  institutions  perhaps  the  oldest  charit}'  that  comes  within 
the  scope  of  this  histor}-  is  the  "Loysville  Orphans'  Home,"  which  had 
its  beginning  as  an  academy  in  the  basement  of  the  Lebanon  church  at 
Loysville  in  1853,  with  J.  R.  Titzell  as  principal.  Two  years  later  Col- 
onel John  Tressler  erected  a  three-story  brick  building  for  the  use  of 
the  school,  which  continued  with  marked  success  until  the  beginning 
of  the  Civil  war.  At  the  close  of  the  war  the  property  passed  to  David 
Tressler,  who  turned  it  into  a  school  for  soldiers'  orphans.  In  1867  the 
building  and  twenty-seven  acres  of  ground  were  purchased  by  the  Luth- 
eran church  and  the  name  of  the  "Tressler  Orphans'  Home"  was 
adopted.  The  buildings  were  soon  afterward  enlarged,  the  grounds 
beautified,  and  other  improvements  made  to  give  the  home  the  character 
of  a  permanent  institution. 

The  Huntingdon  "Home  for  Orphans  and  Friendless  Children" 
started  with  a  humble  movement  to  relieve  the  distress  of  a  few  families 
Ii\-ing  in  A\'est  Huntingdon.  A  small  house  at  the  corner  of  Sixteenth 
and  Mifflin  streets  was  rented  and  the  first  inmate,  a  little  sick  girl,  was 
carried  into  the  home  on  the  evening  of  }.Iarch  i,   1881.     ]\Iiss  Carrie 

376 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  377 

Miller  was  placed  in  charge,  other  children  came  in,  and  in  April  larger 
quarters  were  secured  at  the  corner  of  Eighteenth  and  Moore  streets. 
On  Januar\-  8,  1883,  the  home  was  chartered  and,  after  occupying  rented 
buildings  for  several  years,  was  located  permanently  at  Eighteenth  and 
Oneida  streets.  About  that  time,  or  a  little  later,  a  movement  was  started 
to  raise  an  endowment  fund  of  $25,000  and  a  large  part  of  the  amount 
had  been  subscribed  in  191 3.  The  home  is  undenominational,  each 
church  in  the  city  electing  one  member  of  the  board  of  trustees.  Since 
the  establishment  of  the  institution  a  large  number  of  orphans  or  friend- 
less children  have  been  placed  with  private  families,  where  they  can 
be  properly  reared  and  educated,  and  the  "Huntingdon  Idea,"  as  this 
plan  has  been  called,  has  commanded  the  attention  of  philanthropists  in 
all  parts  of  the  country. 

On  the  evening  of  February  20,  1905,  a  public  meeting  was  held  in 
Lewistown  to  consider  the  question  of  establishing  a  public  hospital. 
The  need  of  such  an  institution  had  been  recognized  and  discussed  for 
several  years  prior  to  that  time,  but  at  this  meeting  the  first  definite  steps 
were  taken  for  the  formation  of  a  hospital  association.  Permanent  offi- 
cers of  the  association  were  elected  a  little  later  and  a  charter  was  granted 
b)'  the  ISIifflin  county  court  on  May  15,  1905.  Subscriptions  were  then 
solicited  and  before  the  close  of  the  year  enough  had  been  pledged  to 
warrant  the  adoption  of  plans  for  a  building.  A  desirable  site  was  se- 
cured on  Highland  avenue,  just  north  of  the  borough  line  and  the  corner- 
stone was  laid  on  November  17,  1906.  The  hospital  was  opened  to  the 
public  on  February  18,  1908,  with  Miss  Anna  Lenz  as  superintendent 
and  some  of  the  best  physicians  in  Lewistown  as  members  of  the  staff. 

The  total  cost  of  the  building  and  equipment  was  approximately 
$60,000,  of  which  the  state  appropriated  $12,000  and  the  balance  was 
raised  by  popular  subscription  and  the  issue  of  $18,000  in  bonds.  Dur- 
ing the  first  year  284  patients  were  treated,  of  whom  172  were  free 
patients.  In  connection  with  the  hospital  association  a  Women's  Aid 
Society  was  organized  and  it  has  done  a  great  deal  of  valuable  work  in 
securing  support  for  the  institution.  Committees  have  also  been  organ- 
ized at  iMifflintown,  ]\Ic\^eytown,  Yeagertown,  Belleville,  Reedsville  and 
Milroy  with  a  view  to  furnishing  rooms  or  wards  in  the  hospital  for 
the  accommodation  of  patients  from  those  places,  or  at  least  to  aid  in 
defraying  the  expense  of  treatment  of  patients. 


378  HISTORY   OF   THE  JUNL\TA   VALLEY 

Not  long  after  the  hospital  was  opened  it  became  evident  that  the 
accommodations  for  nurses  were  inadequate  and  a  movement  was  started 
for  the  erection  of  a  nurses'  home.  A  site  at  the  corner  of  Highland 
avenue  and  Fourth  street,  directly  opposite  the  hospital  grounds,  was 
selected  and  the  purchase  was  made  as  a  memorial  gift  by  G.  K.  and 
H.  H.  AlcClintic,  the  cost  being  $i,ooo,  and  the  state  appropriated 
$4,000  for  the  erection  of  the  building,  which  was  completed  early  in 
the  year  1913. 

At  Huntingdon  is  the  J.  C.  Blair  Memorial  Hospital,  erected  to  the 
memory  of  John  Chalmers  Blair,  and,  as  the  deed  of  gift  states,  "to  be 
for  the  use  of  all,  without  preference  as  to  religion  or  theory  of  medi- 
cine." The  hospital  is  beautifully  situated  on  an  eminence  bordering  on 
Warm  Springs  avenue,  near  Thirteenth  street.  The  total  cost  of  the  site 
and  building,  including  furnishings,  was  $145,230,  to  which  should  be 
added  the  expense  of  beautifying  the  grounds,  all  of  which  was  per- 
sonally provided  and  looked  after  by  Mrs.  Kate  Fisher  Blair.  The  cor- 
ner-stone of  the  hospital  was  laid  on  ^lay  31,  1910,  by  the  Alasonic 
fraternity,  and  the  building  was  formally  opened  on  September  4,  191 1, 
for  the  reception  of  patients,  with  ]\Iiss  Pena  Schneider  as  superinten- 
dent. Between  that  time  and  June  i.  19 12,  the  institution  received  331 
patients,  57  of  whom  were  persons  injured  in  the  wreck  of  a  limited 
train  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  at  \\'arrior  Ridge,  near  Huntingdon, 
on  the  morning  of  February  15,  1912.  The  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Com- 
pany was  so  well  pleased  with  the  treatment  accorded  these  unfortunate 
passengers  that  it  not  only  paid  the  hospital  services,  but  also  gave  to 
the  institution  $2. 500,  of  which  $2,000  was  to  be  applied  to  the  furnish- 
ing of  a  nurses'  home.  The  State  of  Pennsylvania  also  made  an  annual 
appropriation  of  $6,000  for  the  home,  the  first  of  which  was  available 
on  June  i,  191 1. 

On  December  4,  191 1.  a  training  school  for  nurses  was  opened  in 
connection  with  the  hospital,  the  first  class  numbering  six  students.  The 
curriculum  recommended  by  the  Pennsylvania  state  board  of  examiners 
for  registration  of  nurses  was  adopted  as  the  course  of  study,  with  such 
additions  as  the  special  needs  of  the  institution  might  demand. 

The  second  annual  report  of  the  hospital,  for  the  year  ending 
on  June  i,  191 2,  shows  an  endowment  fund  of  $29,300.79,  of  which 
$25,000  was  contributed  by  ^Irs.  Blair.    ^Membership  in  the  Blair  Memo- 


J.  C.  BLAIR    MEMORIAL  HOSPITAL. 


\' 


lt^pfr*l«'!>-^i-'-' 


J-CBLAIR 
MEMORIAL 
HOSPITAL 

ERECTED 
+       ADigiO-      + 


CORNER   STONE   OF  J.  C.  BLAIR    MEMORIAL   HOSPITAL. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  379 

rial  Hospital  Association  is  divided  into  three  classes — life,  perpetual, 
and  annual.  The  first  two  are  based  upon  the  payment  of  $100  or  more, 
which  amounts  are  placed  to  the  credit  of  the  endowment  account,  and 
the  annual  membership  is  based  upon  the  payment  of  $5.00  annually. 

Of  the  secret  and  benevolent  organizations  the  jNIasonic  fraternity  is 
entitled  to  first  place,  by  right  of  seniority.  The  first  lodge  of  this  order 
in  the  Juniata  valley  was  organized  at  Huntingdon  on  July  23,  1792, 
with  John  Cadwallader,  master;  John  Marshall,  senior  warden;  William 
Kerr,  junior  warden.  During  the  next  five  years  about  fifty  members 
were  admitted,  but  in  1806  the  lodge,  for  some  reason  not  known,  was 
discontinued.  It  was  revived  under  a  warrant  dated  June  24,  1821,  as 
Mount  Moriah  Lodge,  No.  178,  and  continued  in  operation  until  the 
times  of  the  anti-Masonic  excitement,  when  it  was  disbanded  and  its 
charter  was  vacated  by  the  grand  lodge  on  February  6,  1837.  A  new 
warrant  was  issued  for  the  revival  of  the  lodge  on  September  5,  1854, 
but  it  never  went  into  effect.  The  present  Masonic  lodge  at  Huntingdon 
— Mount  Moriah,  No.  300 — was  constituted  on  November  26,  1857, 
with  John  A.  Doyle,  master;  Graffus  Miller,  senior  warden;  John  B. 
Givin,  junior  warden.     The  membership  in  1912  was  193. 

Lodge  No.  68  was  established  at  Mifilintown  under  a  warrant  dated 
March  21,  1796,  with  Dr.  Ezra  Doty,  master;  Thomas  Evans,  senior 
warden;  Robert  Cooper,  junior  warden.  Its  charter  was  vacated  on 
April  4,  18 14,  and  on  June  6,  1825,  Jackson  Lodge,  No.  203,  was  organ- 
ized at  Miffiintown.  A  short  time  after  that  the  anti-Masonic  excite- 
ment broke  out  and  after  a  few  years  of  feeble  existence  the  lodge  was 
removed  to  Lewistown,  where  it  is  now  known  as  Lewistown  Lodge,  No. 
203,  the  date  of  its  reorganization  as  such  being  ]May  27,  1845.  The 
first  officers  under  this  reorganization  were  :  Francis  McClure,  master ; 
John  R.  Weekes,  senior  warden;  Christian  Ritz,  junior  warden.  Meet- 
ings were  first  held  in  the  stone  building  at  the  foot  of  Main  street,  then 
in  the  old  Jacobs  house,  on  Market  street,  later  in  the  upper  story  of 
the  Odd  Fellows'  building,  and,  finally,  in  the  Alasonic  Temple,  which 
was  built  at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  public  square  in  1893.  I"  igi2 
the  lodge  reported  a  membership  of  254. 

The  next  oldest  ^Masonic  lodge  in  the  valley  is  Adams  Lodge,  No. 
319,  of  New  Bloomfield,  which  was  first  organized  as  No.  76.  at  Landis- 
burg  in  1825,  but  ceased  to  hold  meetings  in  1833.     It  was  subsequently 


38o  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   \'ALLEY 

revived  at  New  Bloomfield  and  reorganized  under  a  warrant  dated 
March  i,  1858,  with  Irvine  J.  Crane,  master;  Charles  J.  T.  Mclntire, 
senior  warden;  Alexander  C.  Klink,  junior  warden.  This  lodge  reported 
seventy-five  members  in  19 12. 

Union  Lodge,  No.  324,  at  Mifflintown,  was  established  under  a  war- 
rant dated  September  6,  1858,  with  Jacob  N.  Dewees,  master;  William 
Dent,  senior  warden;  F.  ]\I.  Mickey,  junior  warden,  and  nineteen  charter 
members.  On  the  night  of  December  31,  1870,  the  lodge  room,  with  all 
its  contents,  including  a  library,  was  destroyed  by  fire,  but  a  new  meet- 
ing place  was  soon  secured  and  ten  years  later  the  lodge  had  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  one  of  the  best  in  the  state.  The  membership  in  1912 
was  143. 

Lamberton  Lodge.  No.  371,  at  Thompsontown,  and  ]\Ic\^eytown 
Lodge,  No.  376,  were  both  organized  in  1866.  The  warrant  of  the 
former  was  dated  October  16,  1866,  and  the  first  officers  were:  George 
W.  Rothrock,  master ;  John  Deitrick,  senior  warden ;  Jacob  T.  Emerick, 
junior  warden.  The  lodge  started  with  sixteen  charter  members  and  in 
1912  reported  forty-one.  The  warrant  of  McVeytown  Lodge  was  dated 
October  22,  1866,  and  the  lodge  was  instituted  on  November  i6th,  with 
thirteen  charter  members,  but  the  names  of  the  first  officers  cannot  be 
learned.     The  membership  in  191 2  was  63. 

In  1867  Newport  Lodge,  No.  381,  was  organized  with  eight  charter 
members,  and  two  }-ears  later  Perry  Lodge,  No.  45S,  was  instituted  at 
Marysville  on  December  27,  1869,  with  twelve  charter  members.  In 
191 2  the  membership  of  Newport  Lodge  was  99  and  that  of  Perry 
Lodge  was  108. 

The  youngest  ]\Iasonic  lodge  in  the  four  counties  embraced  in  this 
work  is  at  Orbisonia  and  is  known  as  Cromwell  Lodge,  No.  572.  In 
1912  it  reported  a  membership  of  eighty.  A  lodge  was  organized  at 
Alexandria  in  December.  1800,  but  its  warrant  was  vacated  on  April  4, 
1814.  An  effort  was  made  to  revive  this  lodge  in  1823,  but  it  was  un- 
successful. 

Royal  Arch  chapters  have  been  established  at  Lewistown,  Hunting- 
don and  Newport.  Lewistown  has  a  Knights  Templar  commandery. 
No.  26,  which  was  organized  in  June.  1S67,  and  Huntingdon  Comman- 
dery, No.  65,  was  organized  some  years  later,  as  the  serial  number  indi- 
cates. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  381 

The  oldest  Odd  Fellows'  lodge  of  which  any  reliable  account  can  be 
obtained  was  McVeytown  Lodge,  No.  123,  which  was  instituted  in 
1841,  but  was  disbanded  about  two  years  later.  The  present  lodge  at 
McVeytown — Bright  Star  Lodge,  No.  705 — was  organized  under  a  char- 
ter dated  March  14,  1870. 

Lewistown  Lodge,  No.  97,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  was 
chartered  on  August  19,  1844,  with  John  Hamilton,  noble  grand;  L.  J. 
Liberty,  vice-grand :  A.  W.  Groft,  secretary.  A  stock  company  was  soon 
afterward  organized  and  a  lot  at  the  southwest  corner  of  3.1arket  and 
Dorcas  streets  was  purchased,  upon  which  was  erected  a  brick  building 
at  a  cost  of  $6,000.  This  building  later  became  the  property  of  the  lodge, 
which  still  owns  it.  The  Lewistown  Encampment,  No.  256,  was  organ- 
ized under  a  charter  dated  September  13,  1S81,  and  Bell  Lodge  (Re- 
bekah  Degree)  was  chartered  on  May  12,  1884. 

Juniata  Lodge,  No.  117,  located  at  Huntingdon,  was  first  organized 
on  June  i,  1845.  ^"d  for  ^  time  held  meetings  in  the  hotel  building  at 
the  corner  of  Seventh  and  Penn  streets.  J.  B.  Luden  was  the  first  noble 
grand.  In  I\Iay,  1857,  the  lodge  surrendered  its  charter,  but  was  reor- 
ganized on  June  28,  1867,  since  which  time  it  has  been  prosperous. 
Mount  Hor  Encampment,  No.  180,  was  organized  at  Huntingdon  on 
March  6,  1869. 

Newport  Lodge,  No.  102,  was  also  organized  in  1845,  with  eight 
charter  members,  its  charter  being  dated  March  18,  1845.  ^lifilintown 
Lodge,  No.  131,  was  chartered  on  October  20.  1845.  with  Tobias  Kreider 
as  the  first  noble  grand.  The  first  meetings  were  held  in  rented  quarters 
until  the  Odd  Fellows"  hall  was  completed  in  May,  1851.  It  was  de- 
stroyed in  the  great  fire  of  December  31,  1870,  but  was  rebuilt  on  the 
same  site  in  1872. 

Another  Odd  Fellows'  lodge  organized  in  1845  was  Mount  Dempsey, 
No.  172,  at  Landisburg.  The  following  year  the  lodge  purchased  what 
was  known  as  the  Stambaugh  building,  on  Main  street,  and  met  there 
until  in  1863,  when  the  third  floor  of  the  Landisburg  Hotel  was  leased 
for  a  lodge  room. 

United  Brothers  Lodge,  No.  176.  was  instituted  on  April  20,  1846, 
in  West  township,  Huntingdon  county,  with  John  R.  Hunter  as  noble 
grand,  and  on  November  26,  1846,  Evergreen  Lodge,  No.  205,  was  in- 
stituted at  Duncannon  (then  Petersburg),  with  W.  J.  Stewart  as  noble 


382  HISTORY   OF  THE   JUXIATA   A'ALLEY 

grand.  Perry  Encampment,  No.  100,  was  organized  at  Duncannon 
some  years  later. 

On  January  15,  1848,  Harts  Log  Lodge.  No.  286,  was  organized  at 
Alexandria,  with  John  Huyett  as  noble  grand.  For  several  years  the 
lodge  prospered,  but  during  the  Civil  war  so  many  of  its  members  en- 
listed in  the  army  that  in  1864  the  charter  was  surrendered.  In  ]\Iarch, 
1872,  the  lodge  was  reorganized  with  H.  Isenberg  as  noble  grand. 

In  1849  Odd  Fellows"  lodges  were  organized  at  Thompsontown  and 
New  Bloomfield.  The  former,  known  as  Sincerity  Lodge,  No.  357,  was 
chartered  on  April  16,  1849,  ^n<i  instituted  on  May  30th,  with  E.  D. 
Crawford  as  the  first  noble  grand.  In  1861  an  Odd  Fellows'  Hall  Asso- 
ciation was  organized  and  a  building  was  erected,  the  hall  in  which  was 
dedicated  in  February.  1862.  The  New  Bloomfield  lodge  is  known  as 
Mackinaw  Lodge,  No.  380,  and  received  its  charter  on  October  i,  1849. 
A.  C.  Klink  was  the  first  noble  grand.  For  about  nine  years  meetings 
were  held  in  the  old  bark-house  on  East  McClure  street,  when  a  hall  was 
fitted  up  in  the  AMggins  building  on  the  southeast  corner  of  the  public 
square.  This  building  was  burned  on  December  8.  1873,  and  the  lodge 
secured  the  third  floor  of  the  Fenstermacher  building  for  a  lodge  room. 

Aughwick  Lodge,  No.  472,  was  organized  at  Newton  Hamilton  in 
1852.  in  the  upper  story  of  the  house  afterward  known  as  the  ]\Iiller 
Hotel.  Subsequently  the  property  was  purchased  by  the  lodge,  which 
met  there  until  in  1867,  when  the  place  was  sold  to  John  B.  ^Miller  and 
the  Odd  Fellows'  hall  was  built  in  1869. 

Tuscarora  Lodge,  No.  556,  was  organized  at  Port  Royal  in  1859. 
and  in  1875  purchased  a  site  and  erected  a  hall  at  a  cost  of  about  $2,000. 

On  March  6.  i860.  Coalmont  Lodge,  No.  561.  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  was  instituted  with  nineteen  charter  memljers  and  Addi- 
son ]\Ioore  as  the  first  noble  grand,  A  hall  was  erected  liy  the  lodge  in 
1862. 

Lost  Creek  Lodge.  No.  566,  was  chartered  on  'Slay  18.  i860,  and 
held  its  meetings  in  Miffiintown  until  its  quarters  were  destroyed  by  the 
fire  of  December  31,  1870.  The  charter  was  lost  in  that  fire  and  the 
lodge  received  a  new  one  dated  January  6,  1871,  and  the  following  June 
secured  permanent  quarters  in  the  Hollabaugh  building.  AA'illiam  'SI. 
Allison  was  the  first  noble  grand  of  this  lodge. 

]Mc^^'illiams  Lodge,  No.  702.  was  organized  in  1863.     A  hall  was 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA  VALLEY  383 

built  in  1873  ^""^  fi^'^  years  later  the  lodge  was  disbanded.  The  building 
was  burned  in  18S0. 

An  Odd  Fellows'  lodge  was  instituted  at  Broad  Top  City  in  1865 
with  eighteen  charter  members,  S.  G.  Miller  as  noble  grand,  and  J.  B. 
Gussinger  as  vice-grand.  A  building  was  purchased  by  the  lodge  about 
six  months  after  its  organization. 

Marysville  Lodge,  No.  290,  was  instituted  on  November  19,  1866, 
with  W.  W.  Jackson,  noble  grand;  John  S.  Weaver,  vice-grand;  E.  J. 
Mills,  secretary,  but  the  subsequent  history  of  the  lodge  has  not  been 
ascertained. 

Orbisonia  Lodge,  No.  640,  was  organized  on  August  21,  1S68,  with 
D.  S.  Baker,  noble  grand,  and  May  20,  1870,  McAlisterville  Lodge,  No. 
716,  received  its  charter.  D.  B.  McWilliams  was  the  first  noble  grand  of 
the  latter,  w^hich  met  over  JMcAlister's  store  until  about  1875,  when  an 
Odd  Fellows'  hall  was  erected.  Another  lodge  organized  in  1870  was 
Mount  Hor,  No.  736,  which  was  instituted  at  Cassville  on  November 
2nd,  with  Andrew  W.  Decker  as  the  first  noble  grand.  This  lodge  oc- 
cupied rented  quarters  for  about  seven  years,  when  a  building  was  pur- 
chased for  $600  and  fitted  up  for  an  Odd  Fellows"  hall. 

Oak  Hall  Lodge,  No.  783,  was  instituted  at  Petersburg,  Huntingdon 
county,  January  3,  1872,  with  sixteen  charter  members,  and  on  April 
29,  1875,  Milroy  Lodge,  No.  213,  was  instituted  with  A^'illiam  Kays  as 
the  first  noble  grand. 

Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  in  1865  an  organization 
called  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  was  formed,  the  objects  of  which 
were  to  aid  destittite  soldiers  and  their  families,  collect  and  preserve  his- 
toric relics  of  the  war,  etc.  The  lodges  or  societies  of  this  order  are 
called  posts.  The  first  post  to  be  established  in  the  Juniata  valley  was 
the  Hulings  Post,  No  176,  which  was  organized  in  the  hall  of  the  Ap- 
prentices' Literary  Society  at  Lewistown  on  the  evening  of  December 
10,  1868,  with  General  John  P.  Taylor  as  commander.  The  post  was 
named  for  Thomas  M.  Hulings,  colonel  of  the  Forty-ninth  Pennsylvania 
Regiment,  who  was  killed  at  Spottsylvania,  May  10,  1864.  The  last 
meeting  under  the  original  charter  was  held  on  August  31,  1871,  but 
in  April,  1880,  it  was  reorganized  with  a  number  of  new  members  and 
since  then  has  held  meetings  regularly. 

George  Simpson  Post,  No.  44,  was  organized  at  Huntingdon  in  1879 


384  HISTORY    OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

as  the  successor  of  a  post  of  the  same  name  (No.  33)  wliich  had  been 
organized  in  1868,  the  reorganization  taking  place  on  December  13, 
1879.  George  Simpson,  for  whom  this  post  was  named,  was  the  color- 
bearer  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Pennsylvania  Regiment. 

In  June,  1879,  David  H.  Wilson  Post,  No.  134,  was  organized  at 
Mifflintown,  with  Louis  E.  Atkinson  as  commander,  and  the  first  regular 
meeting  was  held  on  the  loth  of  July  following.  Three  years  later  the 
number  of  members  was  nearly  140,  but  many  of  the  old  veterans  have 
answered  the  last  roll  call  and  there  is  only  a  remnant  of  the  original 
post  left. 

In  1880  Post  No.  188  was  organized  at  Marysville.  with  Alfred  Corl 
as  commander;  William  M.  Allison  Post,  No.  196,  was  organized  at 
Duncannon,  the  date  of  the  organization  being  October  2,  1880,  with 
forty-four  members  and  Harvey  Fisher  as  commander,  and  later  in  the 
same  year  Harry  Corbin  Post,  No.  200,  was  established  at  r\Iapleton 
with  twenty-one  members. 

Isaac  Rogers  Post,  No.  252.  was  organized  at  Orbisonia  on  ^lay  30, 
1882  (Memorial  Day),  with  twenty-four  charter  members;  Arnold  Lo- 
baugh  Post,  No.  297,  was  established  at  Newport  on  January  13,  1883, 
with  thirteen  charter  members:  John  Jones  Post,  No.  448,  was  insti- 
tuted at  New  Bloomfield  on  June  28,  1884,  with  a  membership  of  twenty- 
four,  and  was  named  in  honor  of  Sergeant  John  Jones,  of  the  Ninth 
Pennsylvania  cavalry,  who  was  killed  in  North  Carolina  on  ]\Iarch  10, 
1865;  Thomas  Stevenson  Post,  No.  482,  was  organized  at  ]\IcVeytown 
on  June  21,  1885,  with  thirty-one  members;  and  a  post  called  Benjamin 
Benfert  Post  was  established  at  Oriental,  Juniata  county,  some  time  in 
the  ■80s,  but  the  exact  date  is  uncertain.     Its  number  was  316. 

Closely  allied  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  though  only  local 
in  its  scope  and  character,  was  the  Veterans"  Reunion  Association  of 
Juniata  county,  which  was  organized  at  IMiftlintown  on  October  19,  1878, 
for  the  purpose  of  holding  annual  reunions  of  honorably  discharged 
soldiers  of  the  Union  army.  The  first  of  these  reunions  was  held  on 
December  18,  1878.  Colonel  John  K.  Robinson  was  the  first  president 
of  this  association.  Reunions  were  held  annually  for  ten  years  or  more, 
when  the  number  of  veterans  began  to  grow  fewer  every  year,  the  inter- 
est waned  and  the  organization  finally  died  for  want  of  adequate  support. 

Justus  H.  Rathbone,  a  government  clerk  in  one  of  the  departments 


HISTORY   OF   THE  JUNIATA   VALLEY  385 

at  Washington,  D.  C,  with  four  of  his  fellow  clerks,  organized  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  in  that  city  a  few  years  after  the  close  of  the  Civil 
war.  The  first  lodge  of  the  order  in  the  Juniata  valley  to  receive  a 
charter  was  Lewistown  Lodge,  No.  255,  which  was  chartered  on  June  2, 
1870,  and  was  organized  in  a  hall  in  the  Odd  Fellows'  building,  where 
the  meetings  were  afterward  held.  The  writer  has  been  unable  to  learn 
the  fate  of  this  lodge,  but  its  charter  was  evidently  surrendered,  as 
Juniata  Lodge,  No.  270,  organized  on  October  26,  1870,  is  the  only 
Knights  of  Pythias  Lodge  in  Lewistown.  Its  meetings  are  held  on  Sat- 
urday evenings  in  the  Odd  Fellows'  building.  The  membership  is 
about  300. 

Buehler  Lodge,  No.  269,  Knights  of  Pythias,  was  instituted  at  Marys- 
ville  on  November  3,  1870,  with  a  strong  charter  membership  and  W.  A. 
Sheaffer  as  worthy  chancellor.  About  five  months  later — April  8,  1871 
— Vaulteburg  Lodge,  No.  288,  was  instituted  at  Duncannon  with  thirty- 
one  charter  members,  and  a  few  months  later  Blue  Cross  Lodge,  No. 
295,  was  established  at  Huntingdon.  Cocolamus  Lodge,  No.  397,  at 
Mifilintown,  was  chartered  May  22,  1873,  with  ten  charter  members  and 
William  F.  Snyder  chancellor.  The  meetings  of  this  lodge  are  held  in 
the  Odd  Fellows'  hall. 

Ongpatonga  Tribe,  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  No.  6,  was  organ- 
ized at  Lewistown  on  February  20,  1867;  the  Ongpatonga  Haymakers 
were  organized  at  the  same  place  on  March  10,  1889,  and  Ongpatonga 
Council  Degree  of  Pocahontas,  was  organized  on  April  24,  1901.  Iro- 
quois Tribe,  No.  42,  was  organized  at  Mifilintown  under  a  charter  issued 
on  "the  17th  Sun  of  the  Cold  Moon,"  187 1.  Juskakaka  Tribe,  No.  96, 
was  instituted  at  Duncannon  on  December  27,  1869,  with  eighteen  charter 
members.  A  tribe  had  been  established  at  Marysville  some  time  before 
that,  but  its  history  has  not  been  learned.  Teton  Tribe,  located  at  Reeds- 
ville,  was  established  in  1898. 

The  order  known  as  the  Patriotic  Sons  of  America  has  camps  in 
several  of  the  boroughs  in  the  Juniata  valley.  The  one  at  Marysville  is 
probably  the  oldest,  having  been  instituted  on  December  24,  1880:  that 
at  Lewistown  was  instituted  on  August  10,  1889,  and  the  one  at  Hunt- 
ingdon about  the  same  time.  Yeagertown  Camp  was  established  in  Oc- 
tober, 1906. 

Perry  Council  of  American  Mechanics,  located  at  Duncannon,  was 


386  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

one  of  the  first  lodges  organized  in  that  borough.  It  was  instituted  on 
July  2,  1847,  in  the  basement  of  the  Methodist  church,  with  Roswell 
Shirtluff  as  councilor.  After  several  years  the  council  suspended,  but 
was  reorganized  on  January  10,  1859,  and  on  December  26,  1863,  its  hall, 
in  a  building  erected  by  the  council,  was  dedicated.  Silver  Star  Council, 
No.  129,  was  instituted  at  Huntingdon  on  May  30,  1881,  with  twenty- 
three  charter  members.  This  organization  does  not  appear  in  the  latest 
directory,  but  the  date  of  its  suspension  is  not  known. 

The  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  has  lodges  at  Lewis- 
town  and  Huntingdon ;  the  Holy  Temple  Commandery,  Knights  of  Mal- 
ta, was  organized  at  Lewistown  in  1888;  Juniata  Lodge  of  the  National 
Protective  Legion  was  instituted  at  Lewistown  in  August,  1906;  the 
Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle  are  represented  by  lodges  at  Huntingdon 
and  Lewistown;  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  also  have  "Tents"  in 
those  boroughs ;  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  the  Loyal  Order  of 
Moose,  the  Foresters  and  the  Woodmen  have  organizations  at  several 
points  in  the  valley  and  many  of  these  organizations  own  their  own 
halls  or  club-houses. 


Family  and  Personal  History 


Family  and  Personal  History 

In  Schiller's  "Thirty  Years'  War"  there  is  a  refer- 
FRYSINGER  ence  to  the  territory  of  Freisinger,  showing  that  there 
was  princely  blood  in  the  family  which  bore  the 
name;  but  this  historical  reference  also  shows  that  this  is  nothing  of 
which  to  boast,  since  the  ruler  of  the  territory  and  his  retainers  were 
in  arms  against  the  champion  of  Protestantism,  Gustavus  Adolphus,  by 
whose  forces  the  petty  province  was  completely  wiped  out.  This  was 
about  1632.  A  hundred  years  later  the  name  was  borne  by  a  better 
breed.  They  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Reformation,  and,  being  exposed 
to  persecution  in  the  land  of  their  birth,  some  of  them  came  to  America, 
seeking,  like  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  a  land  wherein  they  might  find  free- 
dom to  worship  God. 

About  the  year  1752  three  brothers  of  the  name  of  Freisinger  came 
to  this  country  in  the  good  ship  "Polly,"  presumably  accompanied  by 
their  wives.  In  honor  of  the  vessel  which  bore  them  in  safety  to  this 
Western  continent,  the  name  Polly  was  given  to  a  child  born  either  on 
shipboard  or  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  party  in  the  land  of  their 
adoption.  They  all  settled  on  the  Conewago  Creek,  near  the  town  of 
Hanover,  in  the  county  of  York,  and  colony  of  Pennsylvania. 

One  brother,  Gottleib  Frederick,  subsequently  removed  to  the  colony 
of  Virginia.  He  had  one  son  who  was  a  Lutheran  preacher,  and  either 
this  son  or  another  conducted  an  academy  in  the  Virginia  domain.  The 
entire  freundschaft  seem  to  have  been  piously  inclined  and  well  educated 
for  that  day.  The  family  history  is  altogether  lost  sight  of  during  the 
greatly  disturbed  period  of  the  revolutionary  war.  In  1816  Peter,  a 
son  of  Gottleib  F.,  removed  from  Virginia  to  Ohio,  settling  in  Cham- 
paign county.  He  had  a  large  family  of  sons  and  daughters,  and  their 
progeny  are  to  be  found  scattered  throughout  Champaign,  Mercer  and 
Van  Wert  counties,  some  of  them  occupying  prominent  professional 
and  public  positions.  One  of  this  line,  the  Rev.  John  Frysinger,  was 
a  well-known  Methodist  local  preacher. 

389 


390  HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA  VALLEY 

Another  of  the  original  brothers,  John,  retnoved  to  Harrisburg, 
Pennsylvania,  at  an  early  date,  the  government  census  of  heads  of  fam- 
ilies, taken  in  1790,  containing  this  record:  "Dauphin  County,  Harris- 
burgh  Town,  John  Frisinger ;  2  free  white  males  of  16  years  and  upward ; 
no  free  white  males  under  16  years;  2  free  white  females;  no  slaves". 
Of  his  descendants  we  have  still  less  information  than  of  those  of  Gott- 
leib.  In  the  vicinity  of  Lewisberry,  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  there 
are  quite  a  number  of  the  family  name,  a  John  Frysinger.  presumably 
a  son  of  the  John  who  resided  in  Harrisburg  in  1790,  having  settled 
there  early  in  the  nineteenth  century.  There  are  others  probably  of 
the  same  stock  in  the  neighborhood  of  Spring  Mills,  York  county,  and 
still  others  in  Dauphin  county. 

The  last  of  the  original  trio,  though  perhaps  not  in  the  order  of  age, 
Ludiwick.  is  also  mentioned  in  the  census  of  1790  as  follows:  "York 
County.  Dover  Township,  Ludiwick  Frisinger;  2  free  white  males  of 
16  years  old  and  upward,  including  heads  of  families;  3  free  white  males 
under  16  years;  3  free  white  females,  including  heads  of  families;  no 
slaves".  This  record  shows  that  Ludiwick  was  the  only  one  of  the  three 
brothers  who  remained  in  the  Conewago  Valley,  and  that  his  children 
were  all  reared  there.  One  of  the  "3  free  white  males  under  16  years'' 
was  George  Frysinger,  born  November  2,  1781.  About  1805  he  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Ritter.  whose  mother's  maiden  name  was  Magdalena 
Mott,  and  who  emigrated  from  near  Basle,  Switzerland,  while  that 
region  was  being  agitated  b}-  what  is  known  as  the  "Seven  Years"  War" 
(1756-1764).  There  seems  to  have  been  something  romantic  connected 
with  this  lonely  flight  to  America,  as  soon  after  the  strife  had  ceased 
she  was  followed  by  Jacob  Ritter,  who  was  probably  her  affianced  lover. 
Impoverished  by  the  devastation  of  war,  he  was  compelled  to  resort 
to  what  was  a  common  custom  in  order  to  reach  this  country,  allowing 
the  captain  of  a  vessel  to  sell  his  service  for  a  limited  time  to  pay  his 
passage.  He  was  thus  bound  to  a  family  of  Germantown,  Pennsylvania, 
of  the  name  of  Chew,  by  whom  he  was  still  employed  after  his  time  as  a 
"redemptioner"  had  expired.  When  the  battle  which  has  made  that 
place  famous  took  place,  the  Chew  residence  was  in  the  line  of  artillery 
fire,  and  with  the  family  he  was  compelled  to  take  refuge  in  the  cellar. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  of  the  revolution  his  circumstances  had  improved 
and  iMagdalena  Mott  became  his  wife. 


HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  391 

George  Frysinger,  who  married  their  daughter  Elizabeth,  became 
a  resident  of  Hanover  in  early  life,  and  soon  took  prominence  as  a 
citizen.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  town  council  of  that  borough, 
organized  in  1815.  Previous  to  this,  however,  in  181 1,  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  legislature,  and  took  an  active  part  in 
the  proceedings  favoring  the  war  with  England,  known  as  the  war  of 
1812.  In  that  war,  when  the  British  attempted  to  take  Baltimore,  he 
joined  a  hastily  improvised  volunteer  company,  which,  although  not 
regularly  enrolled  nor  attached  to  any  particular  command,  participated 
in  the  battle  of  North  Point.  As  soon  as  they  got  under  fire  the  captain 
became  demoralized  and  made  a  hasty  retreat,  calling  on  his  men  to 
follow,  which  they  were  disposed  to  do,  as  a  whole  regiment  broke  into 
a  run ;  but  Lieutenant  Frysinger  rallied  his  wavering  compatriots,  and 
under  him  they  did  good  service  while  the  brief  conflict  lasted.  In 
consequence  of  this  meritorious  conduct,  he  was  afterward  chosen  cap- 
tain of  another  company  regularly  organized,  but  which,  on  account 
of  the  cessation  of  hostilities,  saw  but  a  short  term  of  service  as  appears 
from  the  following  record  in  "Pennsylvania  Archives,  Vol.  XII,  Second 
Series"  (published  in  1895)  containing  the  "Muster  Rolls  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Volunteers  in  the  War  of  1812-14,  with  Contemporary  Papers 
and  Documents,  Vol.  I,"  page  164: 

"Roll  of  Capt.  George  Frysinger's  Company. — Receipt-roll  of  a  com- 
pany of  militia,  commanded  by  Capt.  George  Frysinger,  of  the  Third 
Regiment,  First  Brigade,  performing  a  tour  of  duty  under  the  command 
of  Col.  Lefever,  who  rendezvoused  at  Hanover,  under  the  general  order 
of  the  Governor,  dated  October  15,  and  22,  1814.  Commencement  of 
service,  November  i ;  expiration  of  service,  December  5." 

As  he  gave  the  writer  some  personal  incidents  connected  with  one 
of  the  northern  campaigns  of  the  war,  it  is  probable  that  he  was  one 
of  the  twelve  men  from  Hanover  and  vicinity  who  responded  to  the  first 
call  for  volunteers  and  joined  the  Army  of  the  Northern  Frontier,  but 
the  record  of  the  names  has  not  been  found  to  date  (1913). 

Mr.  Frysinger  carried  on  the  business  of  building  wagons  of  the 
"Conestoga"  make,  a  favorite  with  the  teamsters  who  moved  most  of 
the  merchandise  handled  in  that  day.  A  gentleman  of  Baltimore  city 
told  the  writer  that  his  father  purchased  these  wagons  in  lots  from 
Mr.  Frysinger,  and  that  they  were  so  well  made  that  his  customers  were 


392  HISTORY   OF   THE  JUNIATA  VALLEY 

never  disappointed  in  them.  Some  of  them  were  used  to  convey  heavy- 
loads  from  Baltimore  to  Pittsburgh.  While  his  father  profited  by  the 
builder's  honesty  and  skill,  this  gentleman  said  that  the  children,  of 
whom  he  was  one,  profited  by  his  generosity,  for  with  every  consignment 
of  wagons  came  a  liberal  consignment  of  nuts  or  fruits  for  the  juveniles. 
The  census  record  of  "no  slaves"  indicates  the  aversion  to  slavery  which 
the  early  ancestors  of  the  family  entertained,  as  they  were  well  able  to 
avail  themselves  of  such  service,  and  this  feeling  seems  to  have  been 
inherited  by  their  children.  If  not  the  principal  agent  in  the  community, 
George  Frysinger  sustained  some  connection  with  "the  underground 
railroad,"'  of  which  Hanover  as  a  border  town  was  a  station,  a  very 
aged  colored  man  many  years  ago  having  so  informed  the  writer,  at- 
tributing his  own  freedom  to  Mr.  Frysinger's  assistance.  After  many 
years  of  useful  citizenship  in  Hanover,  he  removed  to  York,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  conducted  a  small  business  until  enfeebled  by  age,  and 
where,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him,  he  departed  this  life  April  5, 
1870,  in  his  eighty-ninth  year,  his  wife  having  deceased  May  21,  1852. 
They  had  four  sons:  Jesse,  George,  Jacob  and  William;  and  three 
daughters :  Elizabeth,  Polly  and  Matilda,  the  name  Polly  being  still  re- 
tained in  memory  of  the  vessel  which  brought  the  grandparents  to  this 
country. 

Jesse,  the  oldest  of  the  sons,  was  born  in  Hanover,  Pennsylvania, 
January  21,  1806,  where  he  spent  a  long  and  useful  life.  For  many 
years  he  served  the  public  in  the  capacity  of  a  magistrate,  and  so  just 
were  his  decisions  and  so  accurate  his  work  as  a  scrivener  that  he  ob- 
tained a  reputation  which  few  in  such  a  position  have  won,  being  famil- 
iarly known  in  the  community  as  "the  Honest  Squire."  In  1827  he 
married  Caroline  Grumbine,  and  to  them  were  born  nine  sons:  Henry, 
Edward,  Lewis,  Charles,  William,  John,  David,  George  and  Jesse;  and 
four  daughters:  Elenora,  Amelia  (who  died  in  infancy),  Sarah,  and 
Emma  (who  died  in  her  tenth  year).  Four  sons  became  extensive  to- 
bacco manufacturers,  of  whom  Edward  is  still  living  in  Lewistown, 
Pennsylvania,  and  Charles  in  York,  Pennsylvania.  Three  became  print- 
ers. William  was  for  many  years  editor  and  publisher  of  a  weekly 
paper  in  Brownstown,  Indiana,  where  he  died.  David  has  for  a  quar- 
ter o^  a  century  or  more  been  a  trusted  attache  of  the  Harper  establish- 
ment in  New  York.     The  venerable  Henry  Frysinger,  who  passed  his 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  393 

eighty-second  birthday  anniversary  October  9,  1912,  is  one  of  the  oldest 
newspaper  editors  in  Pennsylvania,  having  been  in  the  profession  since 
1S52,  when  he  began  the  publication  of  a  weekly  paper  in  Hanover, 
Pennsylvania.  He  subsequently  took  charge  of  the  Clinton  Democrat 
at  Lock  Haven,  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1854  purchased  the  True  Democrat 
of  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  which  he  conducted  successfully  for  about 
twenty-five  years.  Since,  September,  1879,  he  has  owned  and  edited 
the  Delazvare  County  Democrat,  at  Chester,  Pennsylvania.  He  is  the 
father  of  nine  children. 

George  Frysinger  Jr.,  son  of  George  Frysinger  Sr.,  was  born  in 
Hanover,  Pennsylvania,  November  4,  181 1.  He  early  developed  a 
literary  taste.  Such  was  his  fondness  for  books  that  before  he  was 
twenty-one  he  had  read  a  thousand  volumes,  filling  his  retentive  mem- 
ory with  a  rich  store  of  information.  In  1827  he  entered  the  office 
of  the  Baltimore  American,  one  of  the  oldest  journals  in  the  country, 
and  obtained  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  printing  trade  and  business. 
While  in  Baltimore  he  became  a  member  of  Gratitude  Lodge,  No.  5, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  which,  as  its  name  indicates,  was  the  fifth  lodge  of  Odd 
Fellows  organized  in  the  United  States.  He  was  personally  acquainted 
with  Thomas  Wildey,  founder  of  the  order.  In  1832  he  went  to  Wash- 
ington city,  where  he  was  employed  in  what  was  nominally  the  govern- 
ment printing  office  as  a  proofreader,  an  important  and  responsible  posi- 
tion, as  the  mere  misplacement  of  a  comma  in  one  of  the  congressional 
bills  which  passed  through  his  hands  might  have  afifected  national  legis- 
lation. Disabled  by  an  accident,  he  returned  to  his  native  town,  and 
in  1835  established  the  Hanover  Herald.  In  1841  he  removed  to  Le- 
banon, Pennsylvania,  and  became  the  proprietor  of  the  Courier,  which 
he  conducted  until  1844,  when  he  again  went  to  Baltimore,  entering  into 
an  engagement  with  Taylor  &  Company,  publishers  of  The  Western 
Continent,  a  high-class  periodical  edited  by  the  talented  Park  Benjamin. 
This  firm  published  the  first  edition  of  Dumas'  "Three  Guardsmen" 
issued  in  this  country,  the  proofreading  being  entrusted  to  Mr.  Fry- 
singer. In  1846  he  purchased  the  Leivistown  Gazette,  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life  in  Central  Pennsylvania.  With  the  exception  of 
one  year,  he  published  the  Gasette  until  1883,  making  nearly  thirty- 
eight  years  of  editorial  work  in  Lewistown.  Had  all  employers  been 
as  just  and  considerate  as  he  there  would  be  no  labor  troubles.     Every 


394  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

week  he  gave  his  hands,  usually  five  in  number,  a  whole  or  half  holiday. 
without  lessening  their  pay.  He  was  one  of  the  most  unselfish  of  men. 
almost  impoverishing  himself  in  helping  others.  Many  poor  families 
were  the  recipients  of  his  bounty,  and  a  number  of  young  men  received 
from  him  substantial  aid  to  start  them  in  life.  He  was  a  public-spirited 
citizen,  serving  four  terms  as  chief  burgess  when  there  was  virtually  no 
salary  attached  to  the  ofiice,  and  acting  as  clerk  to  the  county  commis- 
sioners when  the  important  period  of  the  civil  war  demanded  a  man  of 
his  capacity  in  that  position.  Much  higher  and  more  remunerative  offices 
were  repeatedly  tendered  him,  but  he  invariably  declined  them  in  favor 
of  others.  He  was  a  lover  of  nature,  and  manifested  a  deep  reverence  for 
nature's  God.  What  was  said  in  the  funeral  oration  of  General  Grant 
could  with  as  much  truthfulness  be  said  of  this  man  of  equally  retiring 
disposition : 

"He  was  taciturn  concerning  his  religious  faith  and  experience — 
not.  however,  from  doubt  and  fear,  but  from  mental  characteristics. 
The  keenest,  closest,  broadest  of  all  observers,  he  was  the  most  silent 
of  men.  He  lived  within  himself.  His  thought-life  was  most  intense; 
his  memory  and  imagination  were  picture  galleries  of  the  world  and 
libraries  of  treasured  thought.     He  was  a  world  to  himself." 

On  June  i6,  1839.  he  married  Sarah  Susanna,  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Maria  Barnitz,  of  Hanover,  Pennsylvania,  who,  as  a  model  home- 
maker,  proved  an  efficient  helpmate.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  her  father 
as  well  as  his  was  a  member  of  Hanover's  first  town  council.  She 
received  a  common  school  education  in  Hanover  and  was  then  sent  to 
York,  where  better  school  advantages  were  to  be  had.  While  in  the 
latter  place,  in  the  year  1825,  she  had  the  good  fortune  to  see  Lafayette 
as  he  rode  in  the  long  procession  which  passed  through  the  principal 
streets  of  the  town,  witnessing  the  pageant  from  a  window  of  the  resi- 
dence of  her  granduncle,  Charles  A.  Barnitz,  afterward  a  member  of 
the  twenty-third  congress.  Mr.  Frysinger's  almost  invariable  rule  to 
take  a  day's  recreation  every  week  and  his  temperate  habits  contributed 
to  a  long  and  enjoyable  life.  An  incident  illustrating  his  appreciation  of 
outdoor  recreation  as  well  as  his  regard  for  veracity  may  not  be  out  of 
place  here.  With  his  oldest  son  he  was  about  setting  out  for  a  day's 
fishing,  when  a  prominent  lawyer  hurriedly  approached  him  and  stated 
that  he  had  an  important  legal  document  he  wanted  printed.     "I  cannot 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  395 

do  it,  Mr.  W.,"  was  the  answer.  "I  promised  my  boy  to  give  today  to 
him,  and  I  always  keep  my  promises  to  my  children".  "I  will  give  you 
double  your  price  for  the  job,"  pleaded  the  lawyer,  "it  will  be  a  great  dis- 
appointment to  me  if  you  will  not  do  it".  "It  would  be  a  greater  disap- 
pointment to  my  boy",  said  the  father,  "if  I  did  not  keep  the  promise  I 
made  him".  And  off  they  went,  fishing  rods  in  hand.  The  writer  was 
that  boy,  and  his  whole  life  has  been  influenced  by  that  incident.  Such 
was  the  character  of  this  unassuming  man.     He  died  December    14, 

1901,  over  ninety  years  of  age,  his  companion  following  him  July  15, 

1902,  being  over  eighty-nine  years  old,  their  wedded  life  having  extended 
through  sixty-two  years.  They  had  three  sons.  The  youngest,  Charles, 
died  in  infancy  at  Lebanon,  Pennsylvania. 

The  oldest  son,  William  Maslin,  was  born  in  Hanover,  Pennsylvania, 
April  18,  1840.  He  received  an  academic  education  in  Lewistown,  and 
then  learned  printing  in  his  father's  office.  Before  he  was  twenty,  he 
was  offered  a  position  in  Sherman's  book  printing  establishment  in  Phil- 
adelphia, which  would  have  paid  him  $1,000  a  year;  but  a  call  from 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  to  enter  its  ministry  coming  at  the  same 
time,  he  chose  the  latter,  receiving  $100  for  his  first  year's  labor,  which 
was  mission  work  in  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  out  of  which  grew  what 
has  become  the  second  of  five  flourishing  churches  of  the  denomination 
in  that  city.  In  1871  he  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  from  Dickinson 
College,  being  at  the  time  pastor  of  the  chapel  connected  with  that  in- 
stitution. Subsequently  he  received  the  degree  of  D.  D.  from  the  same 
source.  For  seven  years  he  conducted  the  M.  E.  Book  Room  at  Harris- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  editing  the  Conference  News  at  the  same  time,  and 
for  seven  years  more  was  president  of  Centenary  Biblical  Institute  (now 
Morgan  College)  of  Baltimore.  Then  for  five  years  he  was  editor  of 
the  Baltimore  Methodist.  In  1894  he  again  became  "Preacher  to  the 
College"  in  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  remaining  the  full  limit  of  five  years. 
After  serving  two  other  important  charges,  Tyrone  and  Bloomsburg, 
in  the  Central  Pennsylvania  Conference,  he  ended  his  pastoral  work  and 
devoted  a  year  to  the  secretaryship  of  the  Conference  Annuity  Fund. 
In  1904  he  retired  from  active  work  and  is  spending  the  evening  of  life 
in  California,  where  he  still  preaches  occasionally  and  performs  some 
literary  labors,  having  been  fifty-three  years  (1860-1913)  a  minister  of 
the  gospel. 


396  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

The  second  son  of  George  and  Sarah  S.  Frysinger,  was  born  in 
Lebanon,  Pennsylvania,  November  3,  1841,  and  was  given  the  name  of 
George  Ritter.  He  was  educated  in  Lewistown,  where  he  spent  nearly 
all  his  life.  Like  each  of  the  males  of  the  family,  he  was  a  printer  "to 
the  manner  born."  Following  in  his  father's  footsteps  he  spent  some 
time  in  the  government  printing  office  at  Washington,  acted  as  foreman 
in  a  Baltimore  newspaper  office,  and  for  many  years  has  been  connected 
with  the  Lewistown  Gazette,  either  as  publisher  or  special  contributor. 
For  several  years  he  edited  and  published  the  Lezvistozvn  Free  Press. 
For  some  time  he  carried  on  the  book  and  stationery  business.  He  has 
never  found  anything  to  his  taste  unless  flavored  with  printer's  ink. 
He  is  known  and  consulted  as  the  local  historian  of  Mifflin  county.  In- 
heriting his  father's  love  of  nature,  he  has  made  an  amateur  study  of 
natural  history,  contributing  an  article  on  the  Robin  to  Lippincott's 
Magazine  which  was  widely  copied.  His  influence  as  an  upright  citizen 
and  active  Christian  of  the  Lutheran  persuasion  is  generally  acknowl- 
edged. He  was  one  of  the  three  months'  volunteers  at  the  time  of  Lee's 
invasion  of  Pennsylvania  in  1S63,  and  his  regiment,  although  arriving 
on  the  scene  too  late  to  participate  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  was  put 
in  charge  of  the  field.  While  on  duty  there  he  contracted  what  was 
popularly  known  as  "the  battlefield  fever,"  and  for  some  time  his  life 
was  despaired  of,  but  the  vitality  inherited  from  a  sturdy  ancestry  over- 
came the  disease  and  prolonged  his  days.  He  still  resides  in  Lewistown 
with  the  history  of  which  he  is  probably  more  familiar  than  is  any 
other  member  of  the  community. 

Jacob,  son  of  George  Frysinger  Sr.,  also  a  native  of  Hanover,  Penn- 
sylvania, born  about  1818  (?),  went  to  Baltimore,  Maryland,  as  a 
young  man,  entering  the  establishment  of  one  of  the  prominent  mer- 
chants of  that  city.  He  subsequently  married  a  daughter  of  the  pro- 
prietor. Miss  Agnes  Caughy.  They  removed  to  Rock  Island,  Illinois, 
where  he  engaged  in  business  for  himself,  and  where,  after  a  residence 
of  more  than  fifty  years,  he  died.  He  was  the  father  of  three 
children. 

AVilliam,  son  of  George  Frysinger  Sr.,  was  born  in  Hanover,  Penn- 
sylvania, April  19,  1822.  In  early  life  he  removed  to  York.  His  trade 
was  that  of  printing,  and  for  several  years  he  was  engaged  in  newspaper 
publishing.     Subsequently  he  became  a  merchant,  but  eventually  con- 


HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA  VALLEY  397 

centrated  his  attention  and  business  energy  on  carpet  manufacturing, 
in  which  he  acquired  a  good  reputation  and  trade.  His  probity  of  char- 
acter, unassuming  but  large  benevolence,  and  genial  disposition,  won  the 
esteem  of  the  entire  community.  For  many  years  he  was  one  of  the 
most  ardent  members  and  liberal  supporters  of  the  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  efifectively  filling  various  official  positions.  In  1844 
he  married  Henrietta,  daughter  of  John  and  Eve  Stine  of  York,  Penn- 
sylvania, a  most  happy  union  which  extended  through  just  half  a  cen- 
tury. His  death  occurred  March  15,  1S94.  and  that  of  his  wife  in  1900. 
Their  children  were  five  in  number:  Francis,  who  succeeded  him  in 
business;  Horatio,  Lizzie  E.,  Alice  and  Nettie.  Alice  married  the  Rev. 
W.  W.  Evans,  D.  D.,  and  a  son  bears  the  honored  family  name  of 
Frysinger. 

Elizabeth,  daughter  of  George  Frysinger  Sr.,  was  born  in  Hanover, 
Pennsylvania,  about  1808  (?).  She  married  Judge  Horatio  Price,  of 
Westminster,  ^Maryland.  Their  union  proved  one  of  great  felicity,  and 
both  were  held  in  the  highest  esteem  throughout  their  long  lives  which 
were  spent  in  the  quiet  enjoyments  of  domestic  life.  They  had  no 
children. 

Mary  (Polly),  daughter  of  George  Frysinger  Sr.,  was  born  in  Han- 
over, Pennsylvania,  in  1810.  She  married  a  Mr.  Houck,  of  Jefferson, 
York  county,  Pennsylvania,  by  whom  she  had  one  child,  Cordelia,  who 
was  married  twice  and  left  several  children.  Mrs.  Houck  also  married 
twice,  her  second  husband  being  a  i\Ir.  Werner,  whom  she  outlived. 
She  was  of  most  gentle  disposition,  amiable,  patient,  charitable,  a  rare 
and  lovable  character.  She  died  August  15,  1875,  aged  about  sixty-five, 
at  the  residence  of  her  daughter,  near  Baltimore  city. 

Matilda,  daughter  of  George  Frysinger  Sr.,  was  also  born  in  Han- 
over, Pennsylvania,  November  27,  18 14.  In  183 1  she  married  Francis 
Shriver,  of  Westminster,  Maryland.  Their  home  was  ever  one  of 
plenty  and  generous  hospitality,  and  was  blessed  with  eleven  children. 
Both  were  honored  and  useful  members  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 
church.  After  years  of  great  suffering,  which  she  bore  with  remark- 
able patience  and  resignation,  she  died  in  great  peace,  January  27,  1884. 

While  the  family  name  is  said  to  be  a  common  one  in  Germany,  it 
is  doubtful  if,  aside  from  the  pedigree  of  those  here  given,  any  number 
bearing  it  are  to  be  found  in  this  country. 


398  HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

The  literal  significance  of  the  name  Freisinger  in  German  is  "Free 
Singer,"  and  it  was  no  doubt  bestowed  upon  the  first  who  bore  it  as  title 
denoting  both  distinctive  rank  and  native  musical  talent.  That  it  in- 
dicated the  latter  is  confirmed  by  the  frequent  recurrence  of  such 
talent  as  an  hereditary  quality  in  the  line  of  succession.  William,  son 
of  George  Frysinger  Sr.,  manifested  this  peculiarity  as  a  child.  At  an 
early  age  he  played  any  instrument  put  in  his  hands.  As  a  lad  he  be- 
came a  member  of  a  brass  band  in  Hanover,  and  created  such  a  furore 
of  enthusiasm  by  his  performances  on  his  first  appearance  in  public,  that 
some  of  the  musicians  mounted  him  on  their  shoulders  and  carried  him 
through  the  streets,  followed  by  a  cheering  crowd.  While  yet  a  mere 
boy  he  became  leader  of  this  same  band.  Although  he  excelled  in  the 
use  of  various  instruments,  his  favorite  was  the  flageolet,  of  which  he 
became  a  master.  Most  of  his  family  have  exhibited  remarkable  musical 
ability. 

A  daughter  of  Henry  Frysinger  has  achieved  quite  a  reputation 
as  a  vocalist,  and  has  sung  upon  the  stage  in  this  country  and  Europe ; 
and  a  granddaughter  in  Philadelphia  is  a  notable  pianist.  Agnes,  daugh- 
ter of  Edward  Frysinger,  of  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  and  wife  of 
Professor  Norcross,  of  Williamsport,  Dickinson  Seminary,  has  attained 
more  than  local  eminence  as  a  pianist,  performing  the  difticult  compo- 
sitions of  classical  artists  with  ease  and  grace  of  expression,  making 
her  a  favorite  in  high-class  recitals  wherever  she  is  known.  It  may  be 
said  of  George  R.  Frysinger  that  "his  life  flows  on  in  endless  song," 
as,  on  account  of  his  musical  bent,  he  has  been  retained  in  the  choir 
of  St.  John's  Lutheran  Church,  of  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  for  a 
greater  part  of  his  earthly  sojourn.  In  appreciation  of  the  services  thus 
rendered,  the  congregation  of  said  church  in  1907  presented  him  a 
handsome  gold  watch  bearing  the  following  inscription:  "In  recogni- 
tion of  50  years"  service  as  a  member  of  St.  John's  Lutheran  Choir, 
Lewistown,  Pa.,  Sept.,  1907."  A  son  of  the  late  Jesse  Frysinger  Jr. 
is  an  organist  of  superior  merit,  his  public  recitals  attracting  much  favor- 
able attention  and  comment.  He  is  also  a  composer  of  more  than  or- 
dinary ability.  He  is  at  the  head  of  the  University  School  of  Music 
at  Lincoln,  Nebraska.  An  infant  son  of  Frysinger  Evans,  a  child  of 
the  fifth  generation  born  in  America,  though  but  four  years  old  (1913), 
is  a  musical  prodigy. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  399 

The  history  of  this  branch  of  the  Greene  family  begins 
GREENE     in  Pennsylvania  with  Kenzie  L.  Greene,  born  in  Hamp- 

stead,  now  Coxiestown,  Maryland,  in  1803,  died  in  Or- 
bisonia,  Pennsylvania,  in  August,  1896.  He  lost  his  parents  when  little 
more  than  an  infant,  and  was  left  to  the  guardianship  of  William  Lovell, 
who,  when  the  lad  was  about  six  years  of  age,  located  in  Huntingdon 
county,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Lovell  and  his  wife  Margaret  were  kind  and 
just  to  their  ward,  giving  him  the  advantages  of  such  schools  as  the 
neighborhood  afiforded  at  that  early  day.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  the 
farm,  but  later  learned  surveying,  becoming  a  well  known  expert  in  his 
profession,  prospered  and  became  the  owner  of  considerable  property 
in  Huntingdon  county,  including  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  in  Clay 
township.  When  he  first  came  to  that  township  he  settled  in  Trough 
Creek  Valley,  later  moved  to  Three  Springs,  where  he  remained  until 
ten  years  prior  to  his  death,  when  he  moved  to  Orbisonia,  making  his 
home  with  his  daughter,  Melissa,  widow  of  Thomas  C.  Ashman.  He 
was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  mental  ability,  an  extensive  reader, 
and  possessed  of  unusual  practical  common  sense  and  judgment.  He 
was  left  a  widower  the  last  fifteen  years  of  his  life,  and  lived  practically 
retired  during  that  period.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  well  known 
in  the  county,  and  held  many  public  offices  of  trust,  including  that  of 
commissioner  of  Huntingdon  county.  He  married  Diana  Hudson,  of 
English  descent,  daughter  of  William  H.  and  Linda  (Doyle)  Hudson. 
William  H.  Hudson  was  a  large  landowner,  part  of  which  he  cleared 
and  improved,  and  on  which  he  erected  a  flouring  and  grist  mill.  He 
died  aged  seventy  years,  leaving  three  children :  Nancy,  married  Moses 
Greenland,  a  wealthy  resident  of  Huntingdon  county;  George,  died  at 
Three  Springs,  Pennsylvania,  a  farmer  and  hotelkeeper;  Diana,  of 
previous  mention,  wife  of  Kenzie  L.  Greene.  Mrs.  Greene  died  Febru- 
ary 28,  1881,  the  mother  of  nine  children:  i.  Melissa,  married  Thomas 
C.  Ashman,  whom  she  survived,  a  resident  of  Orbisonia  until  her  death 
in  1899.  2.  Anion,  died  in  childhood.  3.  Carroll,  died  in  childhood.  4. 
William  H.,  died  in  childhood.  5.  Margaret,  married  Elijah  C.  Houck 
and  died  in  Cairo,  Illinois,  in  1869.  6.  Priscilla,  married  Rev.  David 
W.  Hunter,  a  Baptist  minister,  whom  she  survives,  a  resident  of  Lewis- 
town,  with  her  daughter  Anna,  wife  of  Albert  B.  Spanogle.  She  also 
had  two  sons,  Edwin  and  Dr.  John  P.  Hunter,  the  latter  now  deceased. 


400  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUXIATA   \\\LLEY 

7.  Calvin,  of  whom  further.  8.  Ruth  Ann,  married  Rev.  James  T. 
Bradford,  and  resides  at  Jersey  Shore,  Pennsyh-ania.  9.  Dr.  B.  Frank- 
lin, a  graduate  of  Jefferson  :Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  an  eminent 
physician,  who  died  at  Three  Springs,  Pennsylvania,  June  16,  1S74,  leav- 
ing a  son,  Franklin  H.  Greene. 

(H)  Calvin,  son  of  Kenzie  L.  and  Diana  (Hudson)  Greene,  was 
born  at  Three  Springs,  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  February  19, 
1845,  and  now,  after  an  active,  useful  life  of  successful  effort,  is  living 
practically  retired  at  Lewistown,  Pennsvlvania.  He  obtained  a  eood 
elementary  education  in  the  public  schools  at  Three  Spings,  supplemented 
by  a  three  years'  course  in  the  higher  branches  at  Shirleysburg  Academy, 
under  Professor  J.  B.  Kidder,  and  a  business  course  at  Iron  City  Com- 
mercial College  at  Pittsburgh,  whence  he  was  graduated  in  1865.  He 
then  taught  two  terms  in  Shirleysburg  public  school  and  then  embarked 
on  a  business  career,  with  little  capital  except  a  good  education,  health, 
high  ideals,  an  excellent  reputation  for  manly  uprightness,  and  a  stout 
heart. 

He  married  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  and  about  a  year  later  entered 
the  employ  of  Leas  &  j\IcVitty,  as  bookkeeper  at  the  Saltillo  Tannery, 
Saltillo,  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  (the  junior  partner,  Mr. 
McVitty,  was  his  father-in-law).  Here  he  acquired  his  first  knowledge 
of  the  tanning  business,  in  which  he  later  became  so  conspicuous  a 
figure.  He  grasped  every  detail  of  the  manufacture  of  leather,  from 
the  green  hide  to  the  finished  product,  and  in  1873  was  made  manager 
of  the  Saltillo  Tannery,  and  a  partner  in  the  firm,  which  continued  busi- 
ness for  the  next  twenty  years  as  Leas,  McVitty  &  Sons.  The  personnel 
of  the  new  firm  included  the  original  partners  of  the  old  firm,  William 
B.  Leas  and  Samuel  McVitty,  with  their  sons,  David  P.  Leas  and 
Thomas  Edward  ]\IcVitty,  and  Calvin  Greene.  The  only  change  was 
caused  by  the  death  of  William  B.  Leas,  whose  interest  ceased  in  1884. 
Mr.  Greene  was  a  potent  factor  in  the  success  of  the  firm  and  besides 
his  interest  in  the  prosperous  Saltillo  Tannery,  he  acquired  in  1887  an 
interest  in  the  North  American  Tannery  at  Lewistown,  owned  by  the 
firm,  Leas,  McVitty  &  Greene.  Of  this  plant  ]\Ir.  Greene  had  general 
supervision,  visiting  it  every  two  weeks  until  the  dissolution  of  the  firm 
by  mutual  consent  in  1893.  The  same  firm  obtained  a  charter  from  the 
state  of  Virginia  for  the  Salem  Tanning  Company,  capital  stock  two 


TxHE  NEW -YORK 
PUGLIO     LIDHARY 


HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA  VALLEY  401 

hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  from  1890  to  1893  operated  a 
tannery,  which  they  built  at  Salem,  Roanoke  county,  Virginia.  Of  this 
company  Mr.  Greene  was  a  director  until  1893,  when  he  sold  his  interest. 
He  now  had  his  capital  unemployed,  and  desiring  to  concentrate  it,  pur- 
chased in  1893  the  entire  stock  of  the  Saltillo  Tannery,  with  its  real 
estate,  plant,  and  all  pertaining  thereto,  and  at  once  reorganized  it  as 
Calvin  Greene  &  Son,  taking  in  his  son,  Edward  M.  Greene,  as  partner. 
In  1895  he  purchased  the  plant  of  the  North  American  Tannery  Com- 
pany at  Lewistown  and,  leaving  his  son  as  manager  of  Saltillo  plant, 
he  moved  his  residence  to  Lewistown,  and  gave  his  attention  to  the  tan- 
nery there.  This  plant,  which  he  had  formerly  owned  as  a  partner  of 
Leas,  IMcVitty  &  Greene,  was  substantially  erected,  the  building  of 
brick,  with  a  good  equipment  for  the  manufacture  of  heavy  sole  leather, 
and  during  his  management  produced  annually  1,225,000  pounds  of 
chestnut  and  oak  bark  tanned  sole  leather.  The  capacity  of  Saltillo 
plant  being  seven  hundred  and  eighty-two  thousand  pounds  of  the  same 
quality  and  style  of  leather.  In  1902  Mr.  Greene  disposed  of  the  North 
American  Tannery  by  sale  to  George  H.  Maxwell,  of  Titusville,  Penn- 
sylvania. The  Satillo  Tannery  was  continued  in  operation  until  1911, 
when  the  raw  stock  on  hand  was  tanned  and  the  plant  closed,  although 
still  owned  by  Calvin  Greene.  Although  practically  retired  from  the 
tanning  business,  and  entirely  so  from  active  management,  he  yet  re- 
tains an  interest  in  the  Mount  Union  Tanning  &  Extract  Company,  at 
Mount  LTnion,  Pennsylvania.  The  company  employs  about  one  hundred 
men  and  operates  two  distinct  plants,  one  tanning  hides  imported  from 
South  America,  Mexico,  Africa  and  China,  producing  3,500,000  pounds 
of  leather  annually  from  seventy-five  thousand  hides;  the  other  plant 
manufacturing  a  tanning  extract  from  chestnut  wood  and  bark,  also 
from  the  marabolams  nut,  valonia  and  mangrove  bark.  This  plant  pro- 
duces annually  fifteen  thousand  barrels  of  tanning  extracts,  which  are 
shipped  to  all  leather  tanning  centers  of  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
He  is  also  a  director  in  the  Mann  Edge  Tool  Company,  an  incor- 
porated company  with  a  capital  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars, operating  a  plant  at  Lewistown  and  another  at  Mill  Hall,  Penn- 
sylvania. In  1893  Mr.  Greene  assisted  in  organizing  the  Union  National 
Bank  at  Huntingdon  and  served  as  a  director  until  prior  to  his  removal 
to  Lewistown.  when  he  resigned,  but  still  retains  his  interest  as  a  stock- 


402  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

holder.  In  1906  Mr.  Greene  and  his  son  Edward,  with  others,  organized 
the  Lewistown  Trust  Company,  of  which  he  was  elected  the  first  presi- 
dent. He  continued  in  this  responsible  position  until  191 1,  when  he 
resigned,  but  retains  a  large  stockholder's  interest.  He  has  a  lively 
interest  in  the  prosperity  of  his  adopted  town,  of  which  he  has  been  a 
valued  citizen  for  over  seventeen  years  (1913),  and  an  active  mem- 
ber of  its  board  of  trade,  serving  on  the  executive  committee.  Always 
devoted  to  the  cause  of  education,  he  served  for  many  years  as  trustee 
of  Bucknell  University,  Lewisburg,  Pennsylvania,  but  in  1909  resigned, 
not  through  lack  of  interest,  but  feeling  that  younger  shoulders  should 
bear  the  burden.  Mr.  Greene's  only  business  interests,  outside  his  own 
state,  have  been  in  Texas,  a  state  in  which  he  has  great  faith.  In  1904 
he  was  one  of  the  organizers,  subsequently  director  and  treasurer,  of  the 
Belton  &  Temple  Traction  Company,  operating  in  Bell  county,  Texas, 
between  the  towns  of  Belton  and  Temple.  This  company,  a  successful 
one,  and  bonded  for  $2,000,000,  was  operated  by  the  original  company 
until  191 1,  when  they  sold  to  another  company.  Another  Texas  enter- 
prise in  which  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Greene  are  deeply  interested,  and  of 
which  he  is  president  and  treasurer,  is  the  Pennsylvania  Land  and  Irri- 
gation Company,  with  offices  in  Lewistown.  This  company  owns  1.736 
acres  in  Hidalgo  county,  Texas,  in  the  Rio  Grande  Valley,  which  is  to 
be  divided  into  small  tracts  and  sold  as  fruit  and  produce  farms. 

In  political  faith  Mr.  Greene  is  a  Republican,  holding  many  offices 
when  residing  in  Saltillo,  and  serving  three  years  as  councilman  in 
Lewistown.  In  religious  belief  he  is  a  Baptist,  is  trustee  and  a  deacon 
of  the  Lewistown  congregation,  also  is  one  of  the  board  of  directors  of 
the  Pennsylvania  State  Baptist  Missionary  Society.  Both  his  wife  and 
family  are  communicants  of  the  Baptist  church. 

Calvin  Greene  married,  December  24,  1869,  Amanda  J.,  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Esther  (McKinstry)  McVitty,  and  maternal  granddaughter 
of  Rodney  and  Margaret  (McCammon)  McKinstry,  he  was  born  in 
county  Antrim,  Ireland.  Children  of  Rodney  McKinstry :  John,  Samuel, 
Alexander,  Elliott,  James  and  Esther.  Samuel  McVitty,  a  wealthy  tan- 
ner of  Saltillo  (as  described),  died  March  14,  1891,  aged  seventy-six 
years.  His  wife,  Esther,  survived  him  until  December  29,  1893.  Chil- 
dren :  Emeline,  deceased,  married  Richard  W.  Hudson ;  Thomas  Ed- 
ward, married   Phoebe  Ouimby;  Mary   Ellen,  drowned  at   the  age  of 


HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  403 

eighteen  months ;  John,  died  in  childhood ;  Amanda  J.,  of  previous  men- 
tion ;  AHce  Belle,  deceased,  married  Dr.  W.  S.  Madden. 

Children  of  Calvin  and  Amanda  J.  Greene;  i.  Edward  McVitty, 
educated  at  Bucknell  University,  junior  member  of  Calvin  Greene 
&  Son,  now  president  and  manager  of  the  Mount  Union  Tanning  & 
Extract  Company,  previously  described,  of  ]\Iount  Union.  Pennsylvania. 
He  married  Carrie  W'ittemeyer,  of  Middleburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  has 
sons,  Edward  and  Waldo.  2.  Nora  May,  graduate  of  Bucknell  Insti- 
tute, second  vice-president  of  the  Lewistown  Hospital  Association  and 
an  active  worker  for  church  and  charity.  She  resides  with  her  parents. 
3.  Ida  Gertrude,  graduate  of  Bucknell  Institute,  married  G.  K.  Watson, 
and  resides  in  Mercedes,  Hidalgo  county,  Texas,  in  the  Valley  of  the 
Rio  Grande.  4.  Esther  McKinstry,  educated  at  Bucknell  Institute,  mar- 
ried Hugh  Hamilton  and  resides  in  Hope,  Arkansas ;  children :  Hugh, 
John  and  Raymond.  5.  Raymond,  graduate  of  Bucknell  University, 
class  of  1902 ;  member  of  Phi  Kappa  Psi,  and  of  lodge,  chapter  and  com- 
mandery  of  the  Masonic  order.  He  is  now  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Mount  Union  Tanning  &  Extract  Company.  6.  Mary,  born  July  17, 
1883.  died  August  i,  1883. 

The  family  residence  of  the  Greenes  is  on  Third  street,  Lewistown, 
near  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  is  a  beautiful  brick  mansion  erected 
by  Calvin  Greene  in  1900.  This  record  of  a  busy  life  would  be  incom- 
plete, did  it  fail  to  note  the  high  esteem  in  which  Mr.  Greene  is  held  in 
his  community.  His  long  life  has  been  spent  in  the  full  blaze  of  pub- 
licity, in  two  communities,  and  from  the  almost  penniless  young  man  of 
1870,  he  has  risen  through  honorable  effort  to  affluence  and  a  high  posi- 
tion in  the  business  world.  His  name  is  a  synonym  for  uprightness  and 
his  character  has  proved,  in  its  maturity,  the  promise  of  his  youth.  His 
friends  are  legion,  and  in  this,  the  autumn  of  his  life,  should  he  care  to 
cast  a  retrospective  glance  over  the  past  half  century  of  his  career,  the 
review  can  give  him  naught  but  satisfaction.  His  life  has  been  a  well- 
spent  one  and  the  success  he  has  attained  is  fully  deserved. 


This  family,  a  noted  one  in  the  medical  history 
HARSHBERGER     of  the  Juniata  Valley,  descends  from  a  German 
ancestry.    The  founder,  a  farmer,  settled  in  Pot- 
ter township.  Center  county,  at  an  early  date,  leaving  a  large  family, 


404  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

many  of  the  name  yet  living  in  the  same  locaUty  or  near  where  their 
ancestor  first  settled. 

(I)  John  Harshberger  was  born  in  Germany  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  the  latter  half  of  the  eighteenth  century.  He  became  a  farmer 
of  Penns  Valley,  Center  county,  Pennsylvania,  his  farm  lying  in  Potter 
township.  There  he  lived  until  death  honored  and  respected.  He  mar- 
ried and  two  of  his  sons,  Abraham  and  Henry,  became  eminent  physi- 
cians of  Juniata  and  Mifflin  counties.  The  latter,  born  February  i8, 
1818,  studied  with  his  brother,  Dr.  Abraham,  obtained  his  degree  from 
Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  and  practised  at  McAUister- 
ville,  Pennsylvania,  dying  there  January  28,  1883. 

(II)  Dr.  Abraham  Harshberger,  son  of  John  Harshberger,  was  born 
in  Penns  Valley,  Center  county,  Pennsylvania,  December  12,  1810,  died 
in  Milroy,  ^lifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1893.  He  obtained  a  good 
preparatory  education,  read  medicine  with  Dr.  T.  A.  Worrall  and  Dr. 
William  I.  Wilson,  of  Potters  Mills,  in  Lewistown,  1841  and  1842,  and 
then  entered  Jefferson  Medical  College  at  Philadelphia,  whence  he  was 
graduated  M.  D.,  class  of  1844.  He  married,  and  established  in  practice 
in  McAllisterville,  Juniata  county,  Pennsylvania,  remaining  until  1855, 
when  he  moved  to  Port  Royal  in  the  same  county.  Here  he  practised 
until  September,  1861,  then  gave  up  all  his  plans  and  ambitions  to  enter 
the  service  of  his  country.  He  enlisted  in  1862  and  was  elected  captain 
of  Company  I,  49th  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry.  He 
did  not  accompany  his  regiment  to  the  front,  but  deciding  he  could  be 
of  greater  usefulness  as  a  physician  than  as  a  soldier,  he  was  commis- 
sioned assistant  surgeon  of  the  124th  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Infantry, 
August  2,  1862,  was  promoted  surgeon  December  5,  1862,  transferred  to 
the  i66th  Pennsylvania  Regiment,  and  November  9,  1863,  to  the  149th 
Regiment,  serving  with  the  latter  regiment  until  the  war  closed,  being 
mustered  out  June  24,  1865.  His  regiments  were  a  part  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  and  the  doctor  was  under  fire  at  Antietam,  Hatcher's 
Run,  Wilderness,  Stony  Creek  Station,  Petersburg,  \\"eldon  Railroad, 
Yellow  Tavern  and  other  engagements.  After  the  war  Dr.  Harshberger 
returned  to  his  home  in  Juniata  county,  but  his  three  years  of  absence 
had  given  other  physicians  the  field  and  on  September  4,  1865,  he  moved 
to  Milroy,  ^lifflin  county,  and  there  continued  in  active,  successful  prac- 
tise until  his  death  in  1893. 


HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  405 

Dr.  Harshberger  was  a  learned,  successful  physician  and  stood  high 
in  the  medical  fraternity.  He  was  a  member  of  the  American  Medical, 
Pennsylvania  State  Medical  and  Mifflin  County  Medical  societies  and 
kept  pace  with  all  medical  thought  and  discovery,  while  his  army  ex- 
perience had  given  him  a  skill  in  surgery  unequalled  in  the  county. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  with  his  wife,  ren- 
dered useful  Christian  service.  While  a  member  of  both  the  Masonic 
and  Odd  Fellow  fraternities,  his  humanities  extended  to  all  men  and 
his  charity  was  not  bounded  by  lodge  or  church  lines.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Republican,  but  he  never  accepted  public  office,  his  profession 
being  to  him  all-in-all. 

He  married  in  Penns  Valley,  Mary  Ann  McCoy,  born  there  about 
1822,  died  in  Milroy,  Mifflin  county,  in  1881,  daughter  of  Alexander 
and  j\Iary  (McDowell)  McCoy,  both  born  in  Ireland,  but  married  in 
Center  county,  Pennsylvania.  They  settled  on  a  farm  in  Center  county, 
which  they  owned  and  cultivated  until  death.  Their  children  were: 
John,  Frank,  Mary  Ann,  Margaret  and  Hannah,  the  latter  the  wife  of 
Henry  H.  Van  Dyke.  Children  of  Dr.  Abraham  Harshberger:  i. 
Frances  E.,  married  Rev.  John  Butler,  a  missionary  to  China,  both  de- 
ceased. 2.  Alexander  Samuel,  of  whom  further.  3.  John,  died  aged  four 
years.  4.  Mary,  died  aged  four  years.  5.  Annie  C,  died  aged  twenty 
years,  unmarried.  6.  Frank  McCoy,  a  graduate  lawyer,  now  engaged 
in  the  legal  department  of  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad,  located  at  Ta- 
coma,  Washington. 

(Ill)  Dr.  Alexander  Samuel  Harshberger,  son  of  Dr.  Abraham  and 
JMary  Ann  (McCoy)  Harshberger,  was  born  at  McAllisterville,  Penn- 
sylvania, January  6,  1S50.  He  was  educated  at  Airy  View  Academy, 
Port  Royal,  Pennsylvania,  a  graduate  of  the  class  of  1867,  after  which 
he  read  medicine  with  his  father  until  March,  1869,  when  he  entered 
the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  whence  he 
was  graduated  M.  D.,  class  of  1870.  For  the  first  thirteen  years  of  his 
professional  life  he  practised  in  association  with  his  honored  father.  Dr. 
Abraham  Harshberger,  gaining  in  actual  sick-room  practise  and  by  asso- 
ciation with  the  veteran  army  surgeon  a  most  valuable  experience.  In 
August,  1884.  he  moved  to  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  is  firmly 
established  in  successful  general  medical  and  surgical  practise.  He  is 
surgeon-in-chief  and  president  of  the  board  of  directors  of  Lewistown 


4o6  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

Hospital,  a  position  he  has  most  capably  filled  ever  since  its  erection  in 
1907.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical,  the  Pennsylvania  State 
and  Mifflin  County  Medical  societies,  and  also  contributes  occasional 
articles  to  the  medical  journals,  treating  of  special  or  unusual  cases 
that  occur  in  his  practice.  For  fifteen  years  he  has  been  surgeon  to  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company;  has  served  on  the  state  and  local 
boards  of  health  and  in  private  practise  is  the  oldest  ph3-sician  in  Lewis- 
town. 

He  has  business  interests  outside  his  profession,  including  a  direc- 
torship in  the  ]\Iann  Edge  Tool  Company.  In  political  belief  he  is  a 
Republican  and  for  sixteen  years  has  served  his  borough  as  school 
director.  He  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  203,  Free  and  Accepted  Ala- 
sons;  Chapter  No.  186,  Royal  Arch  Masons;  Commandery  No.  26, 
Knights  Templar;  and  Lodge  No.  97,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  belongs  to  the  beneficial  order,  Royal  Arcanum.  In  religious 
faith  he  is  a  Presbyterian. 

Dr.  Harshberger  married,  December  27,  1872,  Alary  Elizabeth 
Brown,  born  in  Alifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  James  M. 
Brown.  Child:  Annie  G.,  born  December  24,  1879,  was  educated  in 
Lewistovvn  public  schools  and  is  a  graduate  of  Swarthmore  Preparatory 
School.  She  married  William  W.  Cunningham,  who  is  cashier  of  the 
Citizen's  National  Bank  of  Lewistown.  Pennsylvania,  and  they  have  a 
son,  Alexander  Samuel  Cunningham. 


The  Mitchells  of  this  record  descend  from  Henry 
MITCHELL     Mitchell,  of  Alarsden  Lane,  Lancastershire,  England, 

a  carpenter  by  trade,  who  married  Elizabeth  Foulds. 
3rd  mo.,  6th,  1675.  Both  were  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and 
he  was  imprisoned  for  his  religious  conviction  in  1685.  On  12th  mo.,  16, 
1699,  Marsden  monthly  meeting  gave  a  certificate  to  Henry  Alitchell, 
wife  and  four  children.  The}-  sailed  on  the  "Britannica"  for  Pennsyl- 
vania and  after  a  voyage  of  fourteen  weeks  arrived  in  the  Delaware, 
August  25,  1699.  The  vessel  was  overcrowded  and  there  was  a  great 
deal  of  sickness  on  board,  fifty-six  dying  at  sea  and  twenty  after  landing, 
Henry  Mitchell  being  among  the  latter.  The  widow  and  children  settled 
near  the  head  of  tide-water  on  Neshaminy,  and  Middletown,  Bucks 
county,  may  be  considered  the   family  home.     The  mother,  Elizabeth, 


HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA  VALLEY  407 

died  two  weeks  later  on  September  10.    The  children  were  taken  under 
the  care  of  the  Middletown  Meeting  and  found  good  homes. 

(II)  Henry  (2),  son  of  Henry  (i)  Mitchell,  was  born  at  Marsden 
Lane,  Lancastershire,  England,  October  17,  1680,  died  in  Bristol,  Bucks 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1726.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  becoming 
a  land  and  mill  owner.  He  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Richard  Gove, 
of  Philadelphia. 

(III)  John,  son  of  Henry  (2)  Mitchell,  was  born  March  10,  171 1, 
died  April  31,  1789.  He  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  but  later  became 
a  farmer.     He  married,  December  19,  1738,  Margaret  Stackhouse. 

(IV)  Henry  (3),  son  of  John  Mitchell,  was  born  in  1750.  He 
married  and  settled  in  the  Buffalo  Valley  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming. 

(V)  Henry  (4),  son  of  Henry  (3)  Mitchell,  was  born  about  1790, 
in  New  Berlin,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  grew  to  manhood.  Later  he 
moved  to  Beaver  Springs,  where  he  followed  his  trade  of  tinsmith  many 
years,  and  there  died.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
English  Lutheran  church.  He  married  Sarah  Edmonds.  Children : 
I.  Sarah,  married  William  Shafer  and  died  in  Nebraska.  2.  Edward, 
of  whom  further.  3.  Allen,  died  in  Nebraska,  a  wagon  maker  and 
general  merchant.  4.  Caroline,  married  Jerry  Hackenberry,  of  Beaver 
Spring. 

(VI)  Edward,  eldest  son  of  Henry  (4)  Mitchell,  was  born  in  1832 
in  Snyder  county,  Pennsylvania,  died  in  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania.  He 
learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  which  he  followed  until  the  civil  war, 
when  he  enlisted  and  served  as  corporal  in  Company  I,  One  Hundred 
and  Sixty-fourth  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  saw  hard 
service  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  fought  in  several  of  the 
bloody  battles  of  the  war.  After  the  war  he  followed  his  trade  at  Beaver 
Springs,  then  settled  at  Middle  Creek,  where  he  lived  for  thirty  years, 
spending  his  last  days  at  Lewistown,  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  T.  A.  Ew- 
ing.  He  was  a  Republican  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church.  He  married  (first)  Mary  Dreese,  and  had:  Ada, 
married  Joseph  Shirk,  of  Beaver  Springs;  Lizzie,  married  William  H. 
Hartley,  of  McClure,  Snyder  county,  Pennsylvania.  He  married  (sec- 
ond) Hettie  Fetterolf,  born  in  Snyder  county  in  1834,  who  survives 
him,  a  resident  of  Lewistown  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Ewing.     She  is 


4o8  HISTORY   OF   THE  JUNIATA   VALLEY 

a  daughter  of  Andrew  Fetterolf,  born  in  Snyder  county,  where  he  died 
in  1880,  a  blacksmith  and  farmer,  owning  a  good  farm.  James  William, 
mentioned  below,  is  a  child  of  Mr.  Mitchel  by  his  second  marriage. 

(VII)  Dr.  James  William  Mitchell,  son  of  Edward  and  Hettie  (Fet- 
terolf) Mitchell,  was  born  at  Middle  Creek,  Pennsylvania,  August  10, 
1870.  He  attended  the  public  schools  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age, 
then  began  business  life  as  clerk  in  a  country  store,  continuing  there  six 
years.  He  then  located  in  Williamsport,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business  on  his  own  account,  continuing  three 
years.  He  then  decided  upon  the  profession  of  medicine  and  in  1895 
entered  Medico-Chirurgical  College  of  Medicine  in  Philadelphia,  whence 
he  was  graduated  M.  D.,  class  of  1898.  He  at  once  began  practise,  lo- 
cating at  McClure,  Snyder  county,  w'here  he  remained  ten  years.  In 
1908  he  located  in  Lewistown,  where  he  is  well  established  in  general 
practise,  although  a  specialist  in  X-ray  operations  and  electrical  thera- 
peutics. He  has  been  for  the  past  four  years  a  member  of  the  staff 
of  Lewistown  Hospital,  and  is  a  member  of  both  Pennsylvania  State  and 
Mifflin  County  Medical  societies.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows;  Sons  of  Veterans  and 
the  Loyal  Order  of  Moose.  In  political  preference  he  is  a  Republican. 
While  living  at  McClure  he  was  active  in  municipal  improvement,  pro- 
moting and  organizing  the  Water  Works  Company  and  erecting  an  elec- 
tric light  plant  of  which  he  was  also  the  owner. 

Dr.  Mitchell  married,  April  12,  1893,  ]\Iinnie  C.  Knepp,  born  in 
Lewistown,  daughter  of  Edward  Knepp.  Child,  Mary,  born  in  McClure, 
Pennsylvania,  ]\Iay  i,  1900. 


The  ]McCoys  of  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  herein  recorded, 
McCOY     are  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  the  emigrant  ancestor  settling 

in  Bucks  county,  where  Samuel  H.  McCoy,  his  son,  was 
born.  After  the  death  of  his  father,  Samuel  H.,  although  but  a  boy, 
left  Bucks  and  settled  in  Mifflin  county,  where  he  married  and  founded 
the  family  of  whom  we  write.  His  home  was  in  Granville  township, 
where  he  owned  several  farms  and  was  a  man  of  prominence.  He  mar- 
ried Rachel  Anderson,  who  became  the  mother  of  his  five  children : 
Frank  I.,  of  whom  further;  Charles  Howard,  now  in  business  in  the 
state  of  Washington;  Anna,  now  living  in  Lewistown,  unmarried;  Wil- 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  409 

liam  T.,  now  living  on  the  old  ]\IcCoy  homestead;  Edward,  residing 
in  Lewistown. 

(III)  Frank  I.,  eldest  son  of  Samuel  H.  ^IcCoy,  was  born  in  Gran- 
ville township,  Alifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  January  16,  1847,  and  died 
there  February  26,  1907.  He  grew  to  manhood  at  the  home  farm,  later 
purchasing  one  of  the  farms  owned  by  his  father  and  there  residing 
until  his  death.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  held  several  town- 
ship offices.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  she  still  continuing  a  faithful  member.  He  married, 
November  23,  1871,  Alary  Penepacker,  born  in  ]\Iifflin  county,  January 
13,  1847,  who  survives  him,  a  resident  of  Lewistown.  She  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Elias  Penepacker,  born  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  coming 
when  young  to  Mifflin  county  and  locating  in  Lewistown.  He  was 
principal  of  the  public  school,  then  composed  of  three  grades.  Later  he 
moved  to  Granville  township,  where  he  also  taught  school  and  was  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  and  assessor.  He  afterward  moved  to  Vira,  where  he 
was  a  merchant  and  postmaster.  He  owned  a  large  farm  in  Wayne 
township  and  a  smaller  one  at  Vira.  He  married  Nancy  Davis,  who  bore 
him  nine  children:  Benjamin,  died  in  the  Union  army;  Rev.  George 
Davis,  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church;  Jennie,  married 
William  Bobb  and  resides  in  Washington,  D.  C.,;  Mary,  widow  of  Frank 
I.  McCoy ;  Etta,  married  Gustavus  AI.  Rehse  and  resides  in  Philadelphia ; 
Laura,  married  Thomas  Brown,  whom  she  survives,  a  resident  of  Lewis- 
town;  Samuel  S.,  now  in  the  insurance  business  at  Wheeling,  West  Vir- 
ginia; Gertrude,  married  R.  M.  Lowrie,  deceased;  John  J.,  a  teacher 
and  county  superintendent  in  the  state  of  Washington.  Children  of 
Frank  I.  and  Mary  McCoy:  i.  Harry  Hurlburt,  now  a  machinist  with 
the  Standard  Steel  Company,  residing  in  Lewistown.  2.  Dr.  Charles 
Milton,  of  whom  further.  3.  Carrie  I.,  married  M.  B.  Rehse  and  resides 
in  New  York  City. 

(IV)  Charles  Milton  McCoy,  M.  D.,  son  of  Frank  I.  and  Mary 
(Penepacker)  McCoy,  was  born  near  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  in  the 
village  of  Granville,  April  8,  1874.  He  attended  the  public  schools,  later 
entering  Millersville  State  Normal,  whence  he  was  graduated  in  the  class 
of  1898.  He  taught  in  the  public  schools  for  five  years,  then  deciding 
upon  a  different  profession,  entered  Hahneman  IMedical  College  at  Phila- 
delphia.    He  pursued  a  full  course  of  study  there,  and  was  graduated 


4IO  HISTORY   OF   THE  JUNIATA   VALLEY 

M.  D..  in  the  class  of  1904.  He  located  in  Lewistown,  where  he  is  well 
established  as  a  skilful,  honorable  practitioner.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
medical  staff  of  Lewistown  Hospital;  the  American  Institute  of  Home- 
opathy and  the  Pennsylvania  State  Homeopathic  Society.  Dr.  McCoy  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  commun- 
icant of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


The  founder  of  this  branch  of  the  Weber  family  in  Amer- 
WEBER  ica  was  Christian  Weber,  who  with  his  wife,  Applonia, 
came  from  Holland,  landing  at  Philadelphia  September 
27.  1727.  His  first  land  purchase  was  a  tract  of  fifty-five  acres,  in  what 
is  now  Montgomery  county,  on  which  in  1737  he  built  a  stone  house, 
still  in  existence.  Here  he  lived  the  remainder  of  his  life,  making  his 
will  Alay  4,  1776,  his  death  occurring  in  1778,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two 
years,  fifty-one  years  having  been  spent  in  Pennsylvania.  His  wife  died 
in  1775-  They  were  both  members  of  the  Reformed  church,  and  were 
buried  in  the  cemetery  at  North  Wales,  Montgomerj^  county.  Pa.  They 
had  five  sons,  who  left  a  numerous  posterity,  not  only  in  Montgomery 
county,  but  in  adjoining  counties,  and  in  far  away  states.  Jacob,  the 
eldest  son,  left  three  sons,  Abraham,  Benjamin  and  Isaac.  Nicholas,  an- 
other son,  married  an  English  Quakeress,  and  left  issue.  Benjamin,  an- 
other son  of  the  emigrant,  left  daughters,  who  intermarried  with  the 
Zearfoss  and  Shearer  families  of  Montgomery  county.  Christian  (2), 
youngest  son  of  Christian  (i)  Weber,  the  emigrant,  was  a  man  of  great 
force  of  character  and  business  ability.  He  was  devotedly  attached  to 
the  colonial  cause  and,  in  1778,  he  recruited  and  was  captain  of  a  com- 
pany of  one  hundred,  whom  he  led  to  battle  with  the  revolutionary  army. 
Many  years  later  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Mifflin,  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  also  in  1800,  served  as  county  commissioner.  He  had  sons, 
John  and  Jesse,  both  of  whom  seem  to  have  inherited  their  father's  abil- 
ity and  capacity  for  politics  and  public  affairs.  From  this  ancestry 
sprang  William  H.,  father  of  Sylvester  B.  Weber,  of  Lewistown.  Penn- 
sylvania. 

( I )  William  H.  \\'eber  was  born  in  Montgomery  county.  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  was  there  educated  and  married.  He  became  a  wholesale  dealer 
in  paper,  having  a  store  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Commerce  streets,  in 
Philadelphia,  Pa.     He  was  in  business  there  ten  years,  until  1856,  when 


HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA  VALLEY  411 

he  disposed  of  his  interests  in  Philadelphia,  and  moved  to  Lewistown, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  established  a  retail  grocery.  His  store  was  lo- 
cated on  the  corner  of  Market  and  Brown  streets,  on  the  site  of  the 
present  building  occupied  by  the  Lewistown  Trust  Company.  He  con- 
tinued in  successful  business  for  about  twelve  years,  until  his  death,  his 
wife  surviving  him  five  years.  They  were  both  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  He  was  a  Democrat,  although  never  accepting  public  office. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  in  all 
his  deals  maintained  the  strictest  regard  for  fairness.  He  was  held  in 
high  esteem  by  all.  and  left  to  posterity  an  unsullied  name. 

He  married  Annie  Bean,  of  Montgomery  county,  Pennsylvania,  her 
family  being  one  of  the  old  and  prominent  families  of  that  county.  Chil- 
dren :  I.  Jacob,  a  sheet-iron  worker;  veteran  of  Company  K,  Ninety- 
fifth  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry;  died  in  Philadelphia. 
2.  Andrew,  a  carpenter,  died  in  Peoria,  Illinois.  3.  William  B.,  a  grocer: 
veteran  of  Company  A,  Forty-sixth  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry;  died 
in  Lewistown.  Pennsylvania.  4.  David  B.,  a  railroad  man;  veteran  of 
Company  K,  Thirty-first  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry;  died  in  Lewis- 
town.  5.  John  H.,  a  groceryman;  veteran  of  Company  A,  Twelfth  Reg- 
iment Pennsylvania  Reserves;  died  in  Lewistown.  6.  Sylvester  B.,  of 
whom  further.  7.  Rebecca,  died  in  Philadelphia,  aged  about  12  years.  8. 
Annie,  married  H.  P.  Leaf  and  resides  in  Pottstown,  Pennsylvania. 

(II)  Sylvester  B.,  sixth  child  of  William  H.  and  Annie  (Bean) 
Weber,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  September  i,  1845.  He 
began  his  education  in  the  public  school  of  his  native  city,  but  in  1856 
his  parents  moved  to  Lewistown,  where  he  completed  his  studies.  He 
began  business  life  in  his  father's  grocery  store,  and  continued  until 
1871,  when  he  established  his  present  business  at  No.  19  East  Market 
street,  Lewistown.  From  boyhood  until  the  present  time  (1913),  he  has 
been  actively  engaged  in  business,  and  has  been  uniformly  successful  in 
all  his  many  undertakings.  His  start  was  humble,  but  prosperity  has  fol- 
lowed in  his  wake  until  he  has  a  large  well-stocked  establishment.  He 
has  been  interested  in  many  of  Lewistown's  enterprises,  and  has  con- 
tributed his  full  share  to  the  upbuilding  of  his  town.  For  ten  years  he 
was  president  of  the  Mifflin  County  National  Bank,  filling  that  high  posi- 
tion with  ability  and  honor.  He  is  treasurer  of  the  Mann  Edge  Tool 
Company,  and  vice-president  of  the  Lewistown  Ice  and  Cold  Storage 


412  HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

Company.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  has  never  accepted  public 
office,  although  a  patriotic,  interested  citizen  and  well  informed  on  all 
questions  of  the  day.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church. 

The  military  record  of  ]\Ir.  Weber  and  his  brothers  is  of  especial  in- 
terest. Out  of  six  brothers,  five  served  in  the  Union  army  during  the 
civil  war.  All  served  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac;  all  were  engaged  in 
the  battle  of  Antietam,  four  were  at  Gettysburg,  none  were  killed  and 
not  one  was  wounded ;  all  under  fire  in  many  of  the  deadliest  battles  of 
the  war.  John  was  captured  and  held  a  prisoner  in  a  southern  prison 
eight  months ;  Sylvester  spent  one  year  in  Richmond,  Andersonville  and 
Savannah,  a  prisoner,  but  with  these  exceptions  they  served  terms  of 
three  and  four  years.  Sylvester  B.  Weber  enlisted  August  21,  1861, 
and  served  in  Company  E,  Forty-ninth  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry, 
three  years  and  five  months,  one  year  of  this  being  passed  in  southern 
prisons.  He  served  under  two  enlistments,  his  second  being  in  the  Third 
Regiment  United  States  Veteran  Corps,  for  a  term  of  one  year.  He 
was  engaged  at  Bull  Run,  Antietam,  Fredericksburg,  Second  Bull  Run, 
Seven  Days  battle  before  Richmond,  Gettysburg,  Brandy  Station,  and 
other  battles.  He  was  captured  at  Brandy  Station  and  sent  to  Libby 
Prison,  later  to  the  awful  Andersonville  pen,  thence  to  Savannah  until 
his  exchange.  His  military  life,  like  his  business  record,  is  without 
blemish,  and  he  can  review  a  long  life  of  activity  and  not  be  ashamed. 
He  married,  about  1872,  Annie  Berlew,  who  was  born  in  ]\Iifflin  county, 
Pennsylvania. 

Children:  i.  Harry,  associated  in  business  with  his  father; 
married  Mary  Hummell.  2.  Annie,  died  in  infancy.  3.  Bessie,  married 
Harry  Laird,  and  died,  aged  thirty  years.  4.  Mary,  married  C.  H.  Nie- 
myer,  and  resides  in  Wilkinsburg,  Pennsylvania.  5.  ]\Iarian,  married  S. 
G.  Hendren,  and  resides  in  Decatur,  Pennsylvania.  6.  John,  died  in  in- 
fancy. 7.  George,  married  Betty  McKinney.  8,  Sylvester,  died  in  in- 
fancy. 9.  Joseph,  married  Olive  Linn,  and  resides  in  Lewistown.  10. 
Jean,  married  T.  W.  Haverstick,  and  lives  in  Tyrone,  Pennsylvania.  1 1. 
William,  residing  at  home. 


The  earliest  record  found  of  the  Shunkwiler  fam- 
SHUNKWILER     ily  is  of  Solomon  Shunkwiler,  who  lived  in  Le- 
high   county,    later   moved    to    Northumberland 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  followed  his  trade  of  black- 


HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA  VALLEY  413 

smith.    He  married,  reared  a  family  and  is  buried  at  Christ  Church,  near 
Lick  Kill,  in  the  JMochatunga  Valle}-. 

(II)  Daniel,  son  of  Solomon  Shunkwiler,  was  born  in  Northumber- 
land county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1S22.  He  learned  his  father's  trade  of 
blacksmith,  and  followed  that  trade  in  his  native  county  until  1842,  when 
he  located  in  Reedsville,  Mifflin  county.  There  he  secured  employment  in 
the  axe  factory,  and  prior  to  his  marriage,  boarded  with  the  great-grand- 
father of  the  present  manager  of  that  factory.  After  his  marriage  he 
again  followed  his  trade,  having  a  shop  at  Reedsville,  but  later  again 
worked  at  the  axe  factory,  and  still  later  moved  and  made  his  per- 
manent residence  in  Lewistown.  He  died  July  i,  1901,  having  retired 
from  active  business  twelve  years  prior  to  his  death.  He  married  Rachel 
Romick,  born  1S38,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  (Hoft'nagle)  Ro- 
mick,  of  Snyder  county.  Her  parents  moved  from  Snyder  to  Juniata 
county,  later  to  ]\Iifflin  county,  where  he  worked  for  a  time  for  old  Gen- 
eral Taylor.  Later  Charles  Romick  bought  a  farm  four  miles  from 
Lewistown,  which  he  cultivated  until  his  death.  He  was  a  Democrat, 
and  served  as  tax  collector.  His  widow,  Mary  Hoffnagle,  died  in  Reeds- 
ville at  the  home  of  her  youngest  son.  Children  of  Charles  and  Mary 
(Hoffnagle)  Romick:  Henry,  now  a  retired  land  owner  of  Kansas; 
Robert,  a  notary  public  of  St.  Paul,  jMinnesota;  Christopher,  killed  in  the 
civil  war  at  the  battle  of  Brandywine  Station;  Rachel,  married  Daniel 
Shunkwiler;  Elizabeth,  married  James  McAuley  and  lives  in  Nebraska; 
Charles,  now  living  in  Center  county,  retired;  William,  killed  by  light- 
ning on  his  farm  in  Iowa ;  Catherine,  married  William  Worrell,  whom 
she  survives,  a  resident  of  Sunbury,  Pennsylvania ;  Samuel,  killed  by  an 
accident  in  the  ore  bank  at  Vira,  Penns3'lvania ;  Landis,  now  a  resident 
of  Niles,  Ohio.  Children  of  Daniel  and  Rachel  (Romick)  Shunkwiler: 
Charles  A.  (q.  v.);  Susanna,  died  unmarried  in  Huntingdon  county, 
Pennsylvania;  Rebecca,  died  in  infancy;  Ella,  marrried  R.  K.  McDonald, 
and  resides  in  Reedsville,  Pennsylvania;  S.  Will,  of  whom  further. 

(III)  S.  Will,  youngest  son  of  Daniel  and  Rachel  (Romick)  Shunk- 
wiler, was  born  in  Reedsville.  Pennsylvania,  December  2,  1864.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  beo-an 
working  in  an  axe  factory,  remaining  four  years.  He  then  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  at  Altoona,  working  for 
two  years  in  the  Fourth  street  shops.     He  then  returned  to  Reedsville 


414  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

and  re-entered  the  axe  factory,  remaining  about  two  years,  until  1896, 
when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Whitman-Schwartz  Company  as 
traveling  salesman,  covering  Central  Pennsylvania  territory,  continuing 
nine  years.  He  then  became  manager  of  a  wholesale  confectionery  at 
Lewistown,  remaining  as  manager  thirteen  months,  until  January  i, 
1907,  when  he  purchased  the  business  and  operated  it  as  S.  Will  Shunk- 
wiler  &  Company,  until  June,  1912.  He  then  bought  his  partners'  inter- 
ests and  became  sole  owner,  trading  under  the  firm  name,  S.  Will  Shunk- 
wiler.  The  business  is  a  prosperous  one  and  increasing  in  volume.  Mr. 
Shunkwiler  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  always  interested  in 
public  afifairs.  In  191 1  he  was  the  candidate  of  his  party  for 
treasurer  of  Mifflin  county,  was  elected  and  is  now  serving.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  order;  Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle;  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  the  Royal  Arcanum,  taking  active  part  in  the  work  of  these 
fraternities.  He  married,  October,  1892,  Matilda  C.  Reed,  born  in 
Reedsville,  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Mar- 
garet Reed,  of  an  old  Pennsylvania  famil}',  her  father  a  merchant. 
Children :  Robert  Daniel,  died  aged  thirteen  months ;  jMargaret  Reed, 
born  May  11,  1895,  now  receiving  a  musical  education;  Susanna  Clare, 
born  January  6,  1900. 


(Ill)  Charles  Andrew,  son  of  Daniel  (q.  v.) 
SHUNKWILER  and  Rachel  (Romick)  Shunkwiler,  was  born  at 
Reedsville,  Pennsylvania,  October  4,  1859.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  school  and  learned  the  axe  making  trade  with 
his  father,  later  working  with  him  in  the  axe  factory  at  Reedsville.  In 
1890  he  entered  the  employ  of  Janney  &  Andrews,  a  Philadelphia  whole- 
sale grocery  house,  as  traveling  salesman,  continuing  with  them  three 
years.  He  then  was  with  Halpman,  Greene  &  Company,  of  Philadelphia, 
in  a  similar  capacity,  until  August  i,  1895,  when  he  became  manager  of 
a  branch  store  of  Whitman-Schwartz  Company,  wholesale  grocers,  the 
branch  store  being  located  at  Lewistown.  He  has  made  a  very  success- 
ful manager,  and  is  still  at  the  head  of  this  very  important  branch  of 
Whitman-Schwartz  Company,  which  maintains  a  selling  force  of  nine 
men. 

In   1908   yir.   Shunkwiler  was  elected  a  director  of  the  company, 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  415 

which  is  a  prosperous  corporation,  with  headquarters  at  Harrisburg, 
Pennsylvania.  The  Lewistown  branch  covers  Central  Pennsylvania  ter- 
ritory only.  He  is  also  a  director  of  the  Lewistown  Trust  Company  and 
holds  a  prominent  place  in  Lewistown  business  circles.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  and  in  1905  was  elected  treasurer  of  Mifflin  county,  serv- 
ing three  years.  He  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  203,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons;  Chapter  and  Commandery  of  the  Masonic  order,  also 
belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  the 
Golden  Eagle  and  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

He  married,  February  11,  1892,  Maude  F.,  born  in  Reedsville,  Penn- 
sylvania, daughter  of  John  A.  and  Margaretta  (Teveling)  Bower.  Chil- 
dren: I.  Edward  Maurice,  born  July  11,  1895.  -■  Charles  Witman,  May 
12,  1898.    3.  Madalene,  September  13,  1904. 


The   Selheimers.   of   Lewistown,    Pennsylvania,   de- 
SELHEIMER     scend  from  Nicholas  Selheimer,  born  in  Hesse-Cas- 

sel,  Germany,  who  came  to  Pennsylvania,  settling  in 
Franklin  county,  about  1765.  He  founded  a  strong,  virile  race,  and  one 
ever  ready  to  take  up  arms  in  defence  of  its  country,  as  did  the  old  emi- 
grant himself.  The  family  records  teem  with  the  warlike  deeds  of  men 
of  the  race  in  every  war,  while  their  records  as  men  in  the  peaceful  pur- 
suits of  agriculture  and  merchandising  are  equally  honorable.  Nicholas 
Selheimer  purchased  land  in  Franklin  county  and  erected  a  home,  but 
when  the  revolutionary  wave  reached  his  province,  he  joined  the  army 
and  fought  until  peace  was  declared  and  independence  won.  His  wife, 
Mary  Miller,  was  his  brave  helpmeet,  and  bore  her  full  share  of  the 
pioneer's  burden.  Children:  William,  of  whom  further;  Conrad; 
George ;  John,  served  under  Commodore  Perry,  and  was  killed  on  board 
the  "Niagara"  during  the  battle  on  Lake  Erie ;  Jacob,  who  also  served  in 
the  war  of  1812;  Susan.  A  precious  heirloom  of  the  family  is  a  large 
silver  medal,  one  of  a  number  awarded  by  the  state  to  her  distinguished 
sons  of  the  war  of  1812,  bearing  this  inscription:  "To  John  Selheimer  in 
testimony  of  his  patriotism  and  bravery  in  the  naval  action  on  Lake 
Erie,  September  the  loth,  1813." 

(II)  William,  eldest  son  of  Nicholas  and  Mary  (Miller)  Selheimer, 
was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1776,  died  in  what  is  now 


4i6  HISTORY   OF   THE  JUNIATA   VALLEY 

Juniata  county,  in  1S26.  He  was  a  manufacturer  of  paper,  building  and 
operating  a  mill  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  until  181 5,  when  he 
moved  to  MifHin  county  (in  the  part  now  included  in  Juniata  county), 
and  carried  on  the  same  business  there  until  his  death.  His  mill  stood 
in  the  midst  of  a  large  tract  of  land  which  he  owned  in  Juniata  county, 
where  he  also  erected  several  dwellings.  He  married  Elizabeth  Houl- 
try,  of  Hagerstown,  Maryland.  Children:  Absalom  B.,  of  whom  fur- 
ther; William;  John;  Patterson;  Elizabeth,  marrried  Thomas  Kerr; 
Catherine,  married  William  Kirk;  Mary,  married  William  Robinson; 
Sarah,  married  John  McKennan;  Jane,  married  John  P.  Law;  Maria, 
married  David  Doughman. 

(III)  Absalom  B.,  eldest  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Houltry) 
Selheimer,  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1798,  died  in 
Rochester,  New  York,  in  1852.  He  became  familiar  with  the  paper 
manufacturing  processes  employed  by  his  father,  and  was  associated 
with  him  in  the  operation  of  both  the  Chester  and  Juniata  county  mills. 
He  married  (first)  in  1821,  Eleanor,  daughter  of  Judge  William  Beale, 
of  Beale  township,  Juniata  county.  He  married  (second)  in  1833, 
Louisa  A.,  daughter  of  Dr.  William  Crawford.  Children  by  first  mar- 
riage: William  B. ;  Napoleon  B.,  served  in  the  Mexican  war,  in  the  cav- 
alry; John  B.,  of  whom  further;  Hannibal  S.  Children  of  second  mar- 
riage: Robert  S.,  David  Crawford,  a  lieutenant  in  the  civil  war;  Absa- 
lom B.,  a  captain  in  the  civil  war;  Jane  A.,  married  E.  W.  Eisenbise; 
Oliver  P.,  who  enlisted  when  fifteen  years  of  age  and  served  nine  months 
during  the  civil  war. 

(IV)  Colonel  John  Beale  Selheimer,  third  son  of  Absalom  B.  Sel- 
heimer and  his  first  wife,  Eleanor  (Beale)  Selheimer,  was  born  in  Mil- 
ford  township,  Juniata  county,  Pennsylvania,  died  in  Lewistown,  Penn- 
sylvania, December  17,  1893.  He  attended  the  district  schools  and 
worked  on  the  farm  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  then  determining 
not  to  be  a  farmer,  left  home  and  came  to  Lewistown,  where  he  appren- 
ticed himself  to  a  tinsmith.  Later  he  finished  his  trade  in  Philadelphia, 
becoming  an  expert  tin  and  metal  worker.  He  formed  a  partnership 
with  James  Bell  and  started  a  tinsmithing  business  in  Lewistown.  No- 
vember 25,  1848,  he  bought  his  partner's  interest  for  two  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars.  The  original  note  given  for  that  amount  in  payment  is 
preserved  by  his  son.     From  this  small  beginning  grew  the  prosperous 


cr 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA  VALLEY  417 

hardware  business,  which  at  the  time  of  Colonel  Selheimer's  death,  was 
conducted  in  a  large  store,  containing  a  stock  costing  $25,000.  He  con- 
tinued in  the  tin  and  sheet  metal  business  until  1862,  at  No.  22  East 
Market  street,  then  increased  his  stock  and  made  hardware  his  specialty. 
In  1 87 1  he  moved  his  store  to  No.  13  East  Market  street,  on  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  Public  Square,  where  he  continued  in  business  until  his 
death,  one  of  the  best  known  and  prosperous  merchants  of  the  county. 
The  business  is  still  conducted  for  the  estate. 

He  had  been  interested  in  military  matters  since  1858,  when  he  was 
chosen  captain  of  the  Logan  Guards,  then  newly  organized.  In  April, 
1861,  the  "Guards"  volunteered  for  service,  and  immediately  after  the 
fall  of  Fort  Sumter  their  services  were  accepted,  and  on  the  evening  of 
April  16,  1861,  the  company,  one  hundred  strong,  entrained  for  Harris- 
burg  (the  telegram  of  acceptance  having  arrived  in  the  morning  of  the 
same  day).  The  "Guards"  were  the  first  company  to  arrive  in  Harris- 
burg,  and  one  of  the  first  five  companies  mustered  into  the  United  States 
service  from  Pennsylvania.  On  April  18  they  left  with  four  other  Penn- 
sylvania companies  for  Washington,  passed  through  Baltimore  one  day 
earlier  than  the  Sixth  Massachusetts,  but  escaped  the  fury  of  the  mob 
that  attacked  that  regiment.  They  handed  in  the  first  report  of  the  day 
at  Washington,  on  the  19th,  and  were  soon  ordered  on  duty  at  Fort 
Washington,  remaining  there  until  their  three  months'  term  of  service 
expired.  The  Logan  Guards  later  became  a  part  of  the  Twenty-fifth 
Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  Captain  Selheimer  being  elected 
lieutenant  colonel,  and  the  "Guards"  becoming  the  color  company. 

Colonel  Selheimer  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a  leader  of  the 
party  in  jMifflin  county.  He  served  the  borough  of  Lewistown  as  school 
director,  town  commissioner  and  chief  burgess,  and  was  elected,  in  1859, 
treasurer  of  Mifflin  county,  serving  two  years.  In  1884  he  was  elected 
state  senator  from  the  Thirty-first  senatorial  district  for  four  years, 
with  honor,  and  served  on  the  following  committees :  Constitutional  re- 
form; canals  and  navigation;  military  affairs;  banks;  federal  relations; 
pensions  and  gratuities.  He  was  a  member  of  Lewistown  Lodge,  No. 
203,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons;  Lewistown  Chapter,  No.  186,  Royal 
Arch  Masons ;  Lewistown  Commandery,  No.  26,  Knights  Templar,  and 
was  interested  in  all  that  pertained  to  the  advancement  and  prosperity  of 
Lewistown. 


4i8  HISTORY   OF  THE  JUNIATA   VALLEY 

He  married,  March  23,  1850,  Eliza  J.  Matthews,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Matthews,  of  Lewistown;  she  was  born  in  Lewistown,  in  1832,  and  sur- 
vives him,  a  resident  of  Lewistown,  aged  eighty  years,  tenderly  cared  for 
by  her  two  daughters  and  son,  Joseph  M.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  Children:  i.  Joseph  Matthews,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 2.  Eleanor  B.,  unmarried.  3.  William  L.,  resides  in  Lewistown,  a 
hardware  merchant;  married  Fredericka  Bossinger.  4.  Elizabeth  L., 
married  D.  L.  Beckwith  and  resides  in  Albion,  New  York.  5.  Henry  C, 
an  attorney-at-law,  practicing  in  Birmingham,  Alabama,  unmarrird.  6. 
Mary  L.,  resides  in  Lewistown. 

(V)  Joseph  Matthews,  eldest  son  of  Colonel  John  B.  and  Eliza  J. 
(Matthews)  Selheimer,  was  born  in  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  January 
31,  185 1.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  school,  Lewistown  Academy 
and  Crittenden  Commercial  College,  beginning  business  life  at  the  age 
of  seventeen  years  as  clerk  in  his  father's  hardware  store.  He  became 
familiar  with  every  detail  of  the  business  and  for  ten  years  prior  to  the 
death  of  the  founder,  was  the  capable  manager.  He  literally  grew  up 
with  the  business,  and  kept  pace  with  its  wonderful  growth  and  develop- 
ment. He  was  appointed  administrator  of  his  father's  estate,  and  has 
ably  conducted  the  large  interests  committed  to  him.  He  is  a  director 
of  the  Mann  Edge  Tool  Company,  and  was  one  of  the  organizers ;  was 
the  first  vice-president,  and  for  the  past  three  years,  has  been  president 
of  the  Lewistown  Trust  Company;  was  a  director  of  the  Lewistown  Gas 
and  Electric  Company,  and  one  of  the  organizers  and  a  director  of  the 
Lewistown  Ice  and  Storage  Company.  In  all  public  affairs  he  is  liberal 
and  public  spirited,  devoted  to  the  interests  of  Lewistown.  He  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat in  political  faith,  but  has  never  sought  political  preferment,  al- 
though he  has  filled  local  offices  when  the  public  good  demanded.  He 
has  always  been  a  friend  of  the  fire  department,  and  for  several  years 
was  an  active  member  in  the  volunteer  service.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  but  extends  his  liberality  to  the  support  of 
all  churches.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  belong- 
ing to  Lewistown  Lodge,  No.  203,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  which 
he  is  past  master;  past  high  priest  of  Lewistown  Chapter,  No.  186, 
Royal  Arch  Masons ;  past  commander  of  Lewistown  Commandery,  No. 
26,  Knights  Templar,  and  is  a  Shriner  of  Lulu  Temple,  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  at  Philadelphia.     In  Scottish  Rite  Masonry  he  has  at- 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  419 

tained  the  thirty-second  degree,  belonging  to  Harrisburg  Consistory. 
Mr.  Selheimer  is  a  member  of  the  Lewistown  Board  of  Trade,  and  has 
been  its  treasurer  since  its  organization. 


This  branch  of  the  Baker  family  is  found  in  Lehigh  county, 
BAKER  Pennsylvania,  at  an  early  day,  and  there  Walter  Scott 
Baker,  grandfather  of  Dr.  William  M.  Baker,  of  Lewis- 
town,  Pennsylvania,  was  an  early  resident.  Later  he  moved  to  Snyder 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  there  engaged  in  farming  until  late  in  life, 
when  he  moved  to  Missouri,  and  there  died.  He  married  and  left  issue, 
including  a  son,  Walter. 

(II)  Walter,  son  of  Walter  Scott  Baker,  was  born  in  Snyder  county, 
Pennsylvania,  September  17,  1839.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
school,  and  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  followed  until  he  en- 
tered the  army.  He  enlisted  September  7.  1864,  in  Companv  M,  184th 
Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  until  the  close 
of  the  war  under  the  command  of  Captain  L.  C.  Edmunds.  He  was  in 
the  battles  fought  by  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  during  the  last  year  of 
the  war,  and  witnessed  the  surrender  of  Lee  at  Appomattox.  He  was 
honorably  discharged  and  mustered  out  June  2,  1865.  After  the  war  he 
returned  to  Snyder  county  and  resumed  his  trade  of  carpenter  and  cab- 
inet maker.  In  the  spring  of  1872  he  moved  to  Mifflin  county,  locating 
in  Decatur  township,  where  he  bought  a  farm,  and  also  continued  work- 
ing at  his  trade.  About  the  year  1900  he  moved  to  Lewistown,  where  he 
yet  follows  his  trade,  although  in  the  seventy-fourth  year  of  his  age.  He 
is  an  expert  wood  worker,  and  turns  out  the  finest  of  cabinet  work.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public, and  of  the  Lutheran  church,  as  was  his  wife.  He  married  Salome 
McClain,  born  in  Center  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1843,  "^'^d  in  Lewis- 
town,  June  18,  1906,  only  child  of  John  and  Sophia  (Treaster)  McClain, 
of  Snyder  county.  Children :  i.  James M.,  born  November  30,  1861 :  grad- 
uate of  Northwestern  Ohio  University;  read  law  with  Andrew  Reed,  of 
Lewistown,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  practiced  for  one  year  in  Lewis- 
town,  then  moved  to  Snyder  county,  where  he  is  now  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession;  he  married  Mary  Yeager.  2.  William 
^IcClain,  of  whom  further.  3.  Mary,  born  April  8,  1866,  died  De- 
cember 16,  1867.     4.  Ada  C,  born  April  11,  1870;  married  Edward  S. 


420  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

Aurand,  and  resides  in  Lewistown.  5.  Ira  R.,  born  June  11,  1873;  grad- 
uate of  Northwestern  Ohio  University;  now  a  teacher  in  Iowa.  6.  Eliz- 
abeth IM.,  born  July  8,  1875 ;  married  James  Aurand,  and  resides  at 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio.  7.  Samuel  S.,  born  May  28,  1878;  graduate  of 
Case  School  of  Applied  Science,  Cleveland,  Ohio;  now  employed  in  man- 
ufacture of  steel  with  Jones-Loughlin  «S:  Company,  Pittsburgh;  unmar- 
ried. 8.  Elsie  v.,  born  November  12,  1880;  now  a  teacher  in  Lewistown 
public  schools.  9.  Kirby,  born  April  23,  1882 ;  married  Annie  Peters,  and 
resides  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio. 

(Ill)  \^■illiam  McClain,  son  of  Waher  and  Salome  (McClain) 
Baker,  was  born  June  24,  1863.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  began  teaching.  His  first  position  was 
at  Center  school,  in  Decatur  township,  where  he  taught  one  year.  He 
then  entered  the  preparatory  department  of  Northwestern  Ohio  L"ni- 
versity.  After  leaving  the  university  he  taught  two  terms  at  Lilyville, 
Decatur  township;  then  in  October,  1886,  entered  Ohio  Medical  College, 
at  Cincinnati,  remaining  one  year.  He  then  matriculated  at  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  whence  he  was  graduated  M.  D.,  April 
4,  1888.  He  spent  a  few  months  at  his  home  after  graduation,  then 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Beavertown,  Snyder  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  built  up  a  good  practice  and  remained  until  Oc- 
tober 15,  1895.  He  then  disposed  of  his  practice  there  and  located  in 
Lewistown,  where  he  is  now  well  established  in  general  medical  and 
surgical  practice.  He  holds  high  rank  in  his  profession,  and  is  the 
present  chief  of  medical  staff  of  Lewistown  Hospital;  he  was  for  thir- 
teen years  physician  to  Miiliin  county  jail,  nine  years  physician  to  the 
county  almshouse,  served  three  years  on  the  borough  board  of  health, 
and  is  a  member  of  Mifflin  County  Medical  Society.  He  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  is  now  serving  his  first  term  as  commissioner  of  Mifflin 
county. 

He  holds  high  degree  in  the  Masonic  order,  belonging  to  Lewis- 
town  Lodge,  No.  203,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  Lewistown  Chapter, 
No.  186,  Royal  Arch  Masons;  Lewistown  Commandery,  No.  26. 
Knights  Templar;  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason  of  Harrisburg  Con- 
sistory, Ancient  Accepted  Scottish  Rite,  and  a  noble  of  Jaffa  Temple,  Al- 
toona,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.  He  also  is  a  member  of  Juniata  Eyrie,  No. 
419,  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  and  of  the  Temple  Club. 


HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  421 

Dr.  Baker  married,  September  i,  1887,  Mary  Willa  Ingram,  born  in 
Decatur  township,  JMifflin  county,  daughter  of  Augustus  ]\I.  and  Eliza- 
beth (Sigler)  Ingram.  Children:  i.  Lloyd,  born  1888,  died  July  14. 
1909,  while  a  student  at  Case  School  of  Applied  Science,  Cleveland.  2. 
Merle,  born  1890;  a  graduate  of  Lewistown  Preparatory  school.  3. 
Charles  Vernon,  born  1891,  died  in  infancy.  4.  Russell,  born  1892,  now 
a  student  in  chemistry  in  Lehigh  University.  5.  Rex  M.,  born  1894, 
graduate  of  Lewistown  high  school. 

Mrs.  Mary  W.  (Ingram)  Baker  is  a  granddaughter  of  James  and 
Martha  (Cottle)  Ingram — he  was  a  lifelong  resident  and  farmer  of 
lUffl'm  county;  she  was  born  in  that  county,  but  after  her  husband's 
death  went  to  Missouri,  where  she  died.  Both  were  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  Children:  Mary,  married  a  Mr.  Potter,  and 
moved  to  Illinois,  where  she  died;  Isabel,  twin  of  Mary,  married  John 
Milligan,  w-ho  died  in  Center  county,  and  she  died  in  Missouri ;  Augustus 
M.,  eldest  child  and  only  son  of  James  and  Martha  Ingram,  was  born  in 
Mifflin  county,  in  1828,  died  December  i,  1882.  He  was  educated  in 
Academia  Academy,  intending  to  prepare  for  the  profession  of  law;  his 
father,  however,  was  determined  he  should  become  a  minister  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  During  the  controversy  the  young  man  married, 
and  all  idea  of  a  profession  was  abandoned.  He  became  a  farmer,  own- 
ing a  good  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  in  Decatur  town- 
ship. He  was  justice  of  the  peace  many  years,  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  married  Elizabeth  Sig- 
ler, who  died  November  19,  1905.  Children:  Elizabeth,  born  1848; 
Adeline,  1850;  William,  1852,  died  young;  Sarah,  1854;  Robert,  1856; 
Mary  Willa,  wife  of  Dr.  Baker;  James,  born  1861,  killed  accidentally 
November  3,  1903 ;  Howard,  born  1863 ;  Anna,  1865  ;  Ella,  1869.  Eight 
of  these  children  are  now  living. 

Elizabeth  (Sigler)  Ingram  w^as  a  daughter  of  George  (3)  and 
Sarah  (Townsend)  Sigler,  who  lived  in  the  stone  house  built  by  George 
(2)  Sigler,  his  father.  George  Sigler  (3)  was  a  prosperous  farmer, 
owning  two  large  farms ;  was  always  actively  engaged  in  political  affairs, 
a  staunch  Democrat,  justice  of  the  peace  many  years,  and  head  of  a  large 
family.  The  Siglers  came  to  Pennsylvania  from  New  Jersey,  where 
George  (2),  son  of  George  (i)  Sigler,  was  born  February  17,  1762. 
The  family  came  to  Mifflin  county  prior  to  1775,  settling  in  Decatur 


422  HISTORY    OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

township.  In  the  year  that  George  (2)  Sigler  was  thirteen  years  of 
age  (1775)  there  was  a  report  that  Indians  had  invaded  the  Kishaco- 
quillas  Valley.  George,  the  father,  said  that  he  would  go  over  to  Bell's 
and  inquire  what  truth  there  was  in  the  rumor.  Bell  was  a  neighbor,  liv- 
ing a  mile  away.  But  George,  the  son.  begged  that  his  father  allow  him 
to  go  instead,  and  permission  was  granted;  when  about  half  way,  near  a 
small  spring,  on  the  north  side  of  the  present  road,  Indians  sprang  out 
of  the  bushes  and  the  lad  ran  for  home.  He  was  overtaken  and  struck 
over  the  head  with  a  club,  the  blow  knocking  him  down.  He  was  then 
obliged  to  go  with  his  captors,  five  Indians  and  a  Frenchman,  but  later 
were  joined  by  another  party  of  five  Indians  and  a  white  man,  the  sec- 
ond party  having  a  white  girl  captive  with  them.  They  were  later  joined 
by  other  Indians,  and  all  made  their  way  north  to  Canada.  He  was 
closely  watched,  and  beyond  being  tied  too  tightly,  was  not  harmed.  On 
arriving  in  Canada  he  was  painted  black  and  compelled  to  "run  the 
gauntlet."  He  came  out  of  his  ordeal  very  well,  having  a  few  scars  and 
bruises,  but  doing  some  damage  to  his  tormentors  as  he  ran  the  course. 
His  successful  "running  the  gauntlet"  so  pleased  a  chief  that  he  ex- 
changed a  white  girl  for  him.  After  being  held  a  captive  one  year  and  a 
day  he  was  released  July  14,  1776,  and  with  another  captive,  whose 
father  had  been  murdered  by  the  Indians,  young  Sigler  made  his  way 
back  to  Pennsylvania,  coming  down  the  Susquehanna  river  to  North- 
umberland. There  he  met  one  of  his  father's  neighbors.  Caleb  Parshal. 
who  was  there  to  purchase  a  load  of  groceries  and  salt.  He  then  parted 
with  his  comrade  and  came  home  with  Parshal,  arriving  after  night. 
Parshal  went  to  the  Sigler  home  and  told  the  mother  he  had  seen  George, 
and  that  he  would  soon  be  home.  He  then  called  him  in  and  a  joyful  re- 
union followed.  After  a  talk  with  his  mother,  the  others  of  the  family 
were  awakened,  and  together  they  spent  the  night  listening  to  the  ad- 
ventures of  the  boy  they  had  given  up  as  lost. 

George  (2)  married,  in  1791,  Elizabeth  Bunn,  born  in  Hunterdon 
county,  New  Jersey,  became  a  farmer  of  Decatur  township,  and  on  his 
farm  built  a  stone  house,  yet  standing  and  in  good  condition.  He  seems 
to  have  feared  another  Indian  raid,  as  the  walls  are  unusually  thick.  He 
died  August  3,  1821,  aged  fifty-nine  years  five  months  fourteen  days, 
leaving  two  sons  and  three  daughters. 

The  old  stone  house  was  later  the  home  of  George  (3)  Sigler,  and 


HISTORY   OF   THE  JUNIATA   VALLEY  423 

there  Elizabeth  (Sigler)  Ingram,  grandmother  of  Mary  Willa  (Ingram) 
Baker,  was  born. 


The  McCHntics  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Lew- 
McCLINTIC     istown,  Pennsylvania,  the  head  of  the  family  being 

James  McClintic,  a  boat  builder.  He  built  many  of 
the  boats  used  on  the  Juniata  in  the  early  days,  later  became  a  carpenter 
and  built  many  houses  and  barns  in  the  neighborhood.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Comfort  and  reared  a  family  of  four  children:  John  Com- 
fort, deceased ;  Brown,  who  died  in  Indiana ;  Elizabeth,  married  Griffith 
Thomas,  and  died  in  the  west;  and  Robert  H.,  of  whom  further. 

(II)  Robert  H.,  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Comfort)  McClintic, 
was  born  in  MifHin  county,  Pennsylvania,  near  the  Juniata  river,  in  1810, 
died  in  1871.  He  learned  the  trade  of  cabinetmaker  and  upholsterer,  at 
which  he  worked  until  1832,  then  established  a  factory  and  became  a 
manufacturer  of  furniture  in  partnership  with  his  cousin,  William 
Shimp.  They  also  had  a  chair  factory,  which  they  operated  together 
until  1834,  when  they  separated,  Shimp  taking  the  chair  factory  and 
McClintic  the  furniture,  which  he  developed  into  a  substantial  business, 
which  is  still  carried  on  in  the  family.  He  began  business  in  a  small 
frame  house  that  burned  down  a  few  years  later,  but  he  had  become  so 
well  established  that  he  replaced  it  with  a  large  building  in  which  he 
continued  manufacturing  until  his  death,  in  1871.  He  was  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  and  served  one  term  as  treasurer  of  MifBin  count^^  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows.  By  his  first  wife  he  had  six  children.  He  married 
(second)  Isabel  Kirk,  born  in  Juniata  county,  died  in  Lewistovvn,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  1895.  Her  parents  came  to  Juniata  county  from  Maryland, 
her  father  running  a  paper  mill.  Mrs.  Kirk  died  at  the  birth  of  her 
daughter,  Isabel,  who  was  reared  by  an  aunt.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Kerr,  her 
father  returning  to  Maryland.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  Children  of  Robert  H.  McClintic,  by  his  first  wife, 
Elizabeth  Montgomery:  Mary,  deceased,  married  John  P.  CruU;  John 
M.,  died  in  infancy;  James,  a  machinist  and  veteran  of  the  civil  war, 
deceased ;  William,  a  printer,  died  in  the  west ;  William  Shimp,  died 
young;  Charles  B.,  died  young.  Children  of  Robert  H.  McClintic  by  his 
second  wife:    i.  Thomas  Kerr,  died  in  New  York,  a  cabinetmaker  and 


424  HISTORY   OF  THE  JUNIATA   VALLEY 

bridge-builder.  2.  Robert  H.,  deceased,  was  engaged  in  business  in 
Lewistown  with  his  brother,  George  K.  McClintic.  3.  Kirk  H.,  now  a 
tinner  and  hardware  dealer  of  ]\Iifflintown,  Pennsylvania.  4.  George 
K..  of  whom  further.  5.  Elizabeth  Kerr,  died  unmarried.  6.  Henrietta, 
died  in  infancy.  7.  Margaret  N.,  died  aged  twenty-one.  8.  Howard 
Hale,  head  McClintic-Marshall  Construction  Company,  of  Pittsburgh. 
(Ill)  George  K.,  son  of  Robert  H.  McClintic  and  his  second  wife, 
Isabel  (Kirk)  McClintic,  was  born  in  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  No- 
vember 6,  1855.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  learned  the 
trade  of  cabinetmaker  in  the  business  founded  by  his  father  in  Lewis- 
town.  His  two  older  brothers  conducted  the  business  until  1873,  then 
the  elder  retired  and  George  K.  took  his  place  as  an  active  member  of  the 
firm.  This  continued  until  after  the  death  of  his  mother  and  sister, 
when  George  K.  became  sole  owner  and  conducted  a  prosperous  busi- 
ness. He  is  also  funeral  director  and  undertaker,  having  taken  pro- 
fessional courses  in  embalming  in  both  Pittsburgh  and  Philadelphia. 
He  is  a  director  of  the  Lewistown  Trust  Company,  and  was  treasurer  of 
Mifflin  county  three  years,  1897-98-99.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  in  1892  was  defeated  for  the  office  of  county  treasurer  by  thirteen 
votes.  He  is  a  frequent  delegate  at  county  and  state  conventions  of  his 
party,  and  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  county  politics.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Episcopal  church.  ]\Ir.  McClintic  is 
prominent  in  the  fraternal  orders,  belonging  to  lodge,  chapter  and  com- 
mandery  of  the  Masonic  order;  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle  and  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  ^Nlen.  He 
married  (first)  in  June,  1882,  Effie  Foy,  who  died  in  August,  1S83.  He 
married  (second)  in  1898,  Emma  Lewis,  born  in  Coatesville,  Pennsyl- 
vania, but  a  resident  of  Lewistown  since  1873,  daughter  of  George  W. 
Lewis.  Mr.  McClintic  has  no  issue.  It  is  of  interest  to  note  that  the 
furniture  manufacturing  business,  owned  and  operated  by  Mr.  McClintic, 
is  the  oldest  in  Lewistown  and  Mifflin  county,  and  the  high  character  of 
the  product  is  well  established  and  has  an  assured  market. 


(Ill)    Kirk  H.   McClintic,  third  son   of  Robert  H. 

McCLINTIC     :\IcClintic  (q.  v.)  and  his  second  wife,  Isabel  (Kirk) 

^McClintic,    was    born    in    Lewistown,    Pennsylvania, 

August  II,  1853.    He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Lewistown 


HISTORY   OF   THE  JUNIATA   VALLEY  425 

Academy,  beginning  business  life  with  his  father.  He  continued  in 
Lewistown  until  1880,  then  located  at  Alifflintown,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  is  yet  located.  In  1880  he  established  a  small  tin  shop,  to  which,  in 
1S83,  he  added  a  line  of  hardware,  small  at  first,  as  became  his  capital, 
but  constantly  adding  to  his  stock  and  enlarging  his  business.  In  1889 
he  purchased  the  two-story  building,  twenty-five  by  one  hundred  and 
forty-five,  erected  by  F.  G.  Franciscus,  on  Main  street,  where  he  is  firmly 
established  in  a  profitable  business,  carrying  a  stock  valued  at  ten  thou- 
sand dollars.  He  is  master  of  every  detail  of  the  tin  and  hardware  busi- 
ness, and  has  proved  an  executive  manager  of  unusual  ability.  He  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  has  served  his  borough  as  school  director,  and  is 
vitally  interested  in  all  that  concerns  the  material  or  moral  welfare  of  his 
town.  He  is  a  member  of  Lewistown  Lodge,  No.  203,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church. 

He  married  Margaret  N.,  born  in  Lewistown,  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Maria  Loudenslager,  he  deceased,  she  yet  a  resident  of  Lewistown,  aged 
eighty-seven  years.  Children:  i.  Isabella,  graduate  of  Mifflintown  high 
school ;  married  the  late  Edmund  E.  Buehn,  a  wholesale  dealer  in  Edison 
phonograph  records  and  supplies ;  child :  Margaret  Christina.  2.  Rob- 
ert, died  aged  six  years. 


The  Snook  family  has  been  identified  W'ith  ^Mifflin  county 
SNOOK     since  early  days,  the  grandfather  of  Daniel  H.  Snook,  of 

Lewistown,  having  been  among  the  early  settlers  who 
cleared  and  tilled  the  soil.  He  married  and  left  male  issue,  including  a 
son,  Peter. 

(II)  Peter  Snook  was  born  in  Decatur  township,  Mifflin  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  educated,  lived  and  died.  He  learned  the 
cooper's  trade,  which  he  followed  in  connection  with  farming.  He  was 
a  Whig  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church.  He  married 
Gertrude  Wagner,  also  born  in  Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania.  They  were 
the  parents  of  fourteen  children,  four  yet  living:  Jessie,  Moses,  Thomp- 
son and  Daniel  H. 

(III)  Daniel  H.,  son  of  Peter  and  Gertrude  (Wagner)  Snook,  was 
born  in  Decatur  township,  Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  18,  1843. 
He  attended  the  district  school  and  worked  on  the  farm,  later  learning 


426  HISTORY   OF  THE  JUNIATA   VALLEY 

the  carpenter's  trade.  He  did  not  follow  his  trade  exclusively  in  younger 
life,  but  for  twenty-two  years  engaged  in  farming,  before  moving  to 
Lewistown  Junction.  He  lived  there  on  a  farm  for  thirteen  years,  then 
moved  to  Lewistown,  where  he  now  resides.  He  there  followed  his 
trade,  helping  to  build  the  First  and  Second  Evangelical  churches,  and 
has  erected  many  residences,  having  in  one  period  of  two  years  built 
twenty-four  houses.  He  is  a  member  of  the  United  Evangelical 
church,  he  and  his  wife  having  been  the  first  converts  in  the  Lawver 
Evangelical  Church  in  Decatur  township.  He  was  for  many  years  su- 
perintendent of  the  Sunday  school,  but  in  recent  years  his  health  has  pre- 
vented such  activities.     In  political  faith  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Mr.  Snook  married,  in  1862,  Susanna  Lawver,  born  in  Decatur  town- 
ship, Mifflin  county,  daughter  of  John  Lawver,  an  early  settler  of  that 
township.  He  donated  land  for  the  Evangelical  church  and  cemetery, 
being  a  wealthy  farmer  and  contractor.  Children  of  Daniel  H.  and 
Susanna  (Lawver)  Snook:  i.  Samuel  Casper,  married  Jennie  Brower, 
and  has  children :  Edna,  Bertha  and  Sarah.  2.  Elizabeth  Gertrude,  mar- 
ried Harvey  Snook  and  has :  Walter,  \\'arren,  Olive,  Merill,  Ethel,  Rus- 
sel,  Paul  and  Elizabeth. 


This  branch  of  the  Snyder  family  came  to  this  country 
SNYDER  about  1774,  the  founders  being  Christopher  and  John 
Snyder,  father  and  son,  who  came  from  Holland. 
Among  their  possessions  was  a  walnut  chest  with  the  date  1774  carved 
upon  it,  which  approximates  the  date  of  their  coming.  They  settled  on 
wild  land  in  what  is  now  Snyder  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  they  lived 
until  the  death  of  Christopher,  the  father. 

(II)  John,  son  of  Christopher  Snyder,  owned  a  large  tract  of  land, 
and  was  a  pioneer  of  both  Snyder  and  Clinton  counties,  all  his  children 
being  born  in  the  latter  county.  He  married  and  had  twelve  children,  all 
deceased,  John,  the  last  to  survive,  died  in  1913,  aged  eighty-eight  years. 
The  names  of  ten  are  as  follows :  Susan,  Nancy,  Katherine,  Leah,  Char- 
lotte. Lucinda,  Hannah,  Betsy,  two  tmknown,  and  Elias  and  John. 

(III)  John  (2),  son  of  John  (i)  Snyder,  was  born  in  Clinton  county, 
Pennsylvania,  November  5,  1824.  He  grew  to  manhood  at  the  home 
farm,  which  later  became  his  property.  He  continued  there  until  April, 
1909,  when  he  moved  to  Mill  Hall,  Mifflin  county,  where  he  lived  a  re- 


HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  427 

tired  life  until  his  death.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  German  Baptist  church  (Dunkard).  He  married. 
December  11,  1851,  Catherine  McGuire,  born  in  Clinton  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, February  27,  1830,  yet  living.  The  aged  couple  on  December 
II,  1912,  celebrated  their  sixty-iirst  wedding  anniversary  at  their  home 
in  Mill  Hall,  there  receiving  the  congratulations  of  many  relatives  and 
friends.  Children:  i.  Nancy,  married  John  Anthony  and  died  at  Lock 
Haven,  Pennsylvania,  aged  fifty-two  years.  2.  Harry,  married  Jane 
Porter  and  lives  at  Mill  Hall,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  is  employed  in  a 
milk  condensing  plant.  3.  Ida,  resides  at  home,  unmarried.  4.  Clara, 
died  aged  fifteen  years.  5.  William,  a  bank  employee  in  Lock  Haven, 
Pennsylvania.  6.  Lottie,  resides  at  home,  unmarried.  7.  Elmer  N.,  of 
whom  further. 

(IV)  Elmer  N.,  youngest  son  and  seventh  child  of  John  (2)  and 
Catherine  (McGuire)  Snyder,  was  born  in  Clinton  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia, November  18,  1868.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  school  and  grew 
to  manhood  on  the  home  farm.  Later  he  learned  the  tailor's  trade  at 
Lock  Haven  and  for  six  years  was  in  charge  of  the  tailoring  depart- 
ment at  the  government  Indian  school  at  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania.  In 
1900  he  located  in  Lewistown,  opening  a  merchant  tailoring  store  on 
Dorcas  street,  but  moving  the  next  year  to  his  present  store  on  Market 
street,  where  he  is  well  established  and  prosperous.  He  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  While  at  Carlisle  Mr.  Snyder  was  made  a  Mason  in  Carlisle 
Lodge,  No.  260,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  where  he  yet  holds 
his  membership. 

He  married,  October  17,  igoo,  Jane  Cochran,  bom  in  Perry  county, 
Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Anna  (McFarland)  Cochran. 
They  have  no  children. 


The  first  actual  settler  in  what  is  now  the  township  of 
BRATTON     Bratton,    MifHin   county,    Pennsylvania,    was    Andrew 

Bratton,  who  with  Samuel  HoUiday,  his  brother-in- 
law,  came  over  the  mountains  early  in  1755  in  search  of  lands  on  which 
to  locate.  Andrew  selected  a  tract  on  the  south  side  of  the  Juniata 
river,  and  made  application  at  the  land  office  at  the  same  time.  Samuel 
located  at  what  is  now  McVeytown.     Warrants  were  issued  to  them 


428  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUXIATA   VALLEY 

September  8,  1755,  but  Indian  troubles  drove  them  out  and  they  returned 
to  Cumberland  county,  remaining  there  until  1762,  before  it  was  consid- 
ered safe  to  again  settle  on  their  land^  They  then  came  with  their  fam- 
ilies and  began  improvements.  Andrew  Bratton  built  a  log  house  first, 
but  later  erected  a  stone  house,  later  owned  by  Joseph  Harshbarger.  A 
log  meeting  house  was  erected  near  his  house  for  the  use  of  the  Pres- 
byterians in  the  neighborhood.  It  is  said  that  the  first  religious  service  in 
that  part  of  the  county  was  held  at  the  house  of  Andrew  Bratton  in  1766 
by  the  Rev.  Charles  Beatty,  a  traveling  minister.  Andrew  Bratton  had 
two  sons,  William  and  John.  There  were  a  number  of  the  name  who  lo- 
cated lands  near  the  Bratton  homestead,  viz. :  John  Bratton,  July  13, 
1762;  William  and  George  Bratton,  October  26,  1785;  George  Bratton, 
January  6,  1768,  four  hundred  acres  additional;  Jacob  Bratton;  Edward 
Bratton,  February  28,  1787;  James  Bratton,  April  22,  1795.  Between 
181 1  and  December  16,  1816,  George,  Jacob,  William,  \\'allace,  James 
and  Andrew  Bratton  took  up  over  one  thousand  acres  of  land. 

The  John  and  William  Bratton  above  mentioned  were  the  sons  of 
Andrew,  the  pioneer.  John  was  a  graduate  of  Princeton  College,  a 
general  of  militia,  and  lived  a  bachelor  on  the  old  homestead.  William 
was  elected  first  lieutenant  in  Captain  Robert  Adam's  company,  January 
9,  1776,  under  General  William  Irvine,  was  promoted  captain  IMarch  20, 
1777,  and  resigned  April  17,  1779.  The  many  Brattons  all  living  in  the 
same  locality  and  bearing  the  same  Christian  name,  render  it  impossible, 
in  the  absence  of  vital  records,  to  trace  the  line  of  William  Charles  Brat- 
ton, of  Lewistown,  beyond  his  grandfather,  Samuel  Bratton,  but  the  evi- 
dence points  to  his  being  a  son  of  James  Bratton,  who  was  the  owner  of 
two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  on  the  Juniata  river,  bought  from 
Alexander  Hamilton,  ]\Iarch  29,  1779.  This  was  the  first  tract  of  land 
within  the  present  limits  of  Bratton  township,  to  which  title  was  ob- 
tained, and  was  warranted  to  Alexander  Hamilton,  February  10,  1755, 
Andrew  Bratton  not  obtaining  his  warrant  until  September  8,  1755. 
James  Bratton  was  the  second  owner  of  the  tract,  and  sold  it  to  George 
Patterson,  July,  1795,  and  two  years  later,  November  10,  1797,  Patter- 
son sold  it  to  Samuel  Bratton,  who  was  its  fourth  owner. 

(I)  Samuel  Bratton  had  sons :  James,  died  in  the  west ;  Charles,  died 
on  the  old  homestead ;  Elisha,  of  whom  further ;  and  Richardson,  died  in 
Bratton  township. 


HISTORY   OF  THE  JUNIATA   VALLEY  429 

(II)  Elisha,  son  of  Samuel  Bratton,  was  born  in  what  is  now  Oliver 
township,  Alifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  jNIarch  28,  1805,  died  September, 
1878.  He  was  a  successsful  farmer,  living  for  a  time  in  Bratton  town- 
ship, but  returning  to  Oliver,  where  he  owned  six  hundred  and  sixty- 
nine  acres  of  farm  land.  He  was  a  man  of  substance  and  influence;  a 
Whig,  later  a  Republican,  but  never  accepting  public  office.  He  served 
his  time,  when  a  young  man,  in  the  state  militia,  holding  the  rank  of  lieu- 
tenant. He  was  a  consistent  Christian,  holding  the  office  of  elder  in  the 
Presbyterian  church.  He  married  (first)  Catherine  Swigert,  born  in 
Ferguson's  Valley,  Oliver  township,  Miffiin  county,  in  1812,  and  was 
there  married.  She  died  in  i860,  the  mother  of  eleven  children:  INIar- 
garet,  deceased;  John  S.,  deceased;  Joseph  R.,  deceased;  an  infant  son, 
died  unnamed;  Samuel,  deceased;  Michael,  now  living  in  Missouri;  Wil- 
liam Charles,  of  whom  further;  Reuben  E.,  died  in  Virginia;  Mary 
Catherine,  died  aged  eighteen  years;  Anna  E.,  married  Samuel  Troxell, 
whom  she  survives,  a  resident  of  Philadelphia;  Elizabeth,  married  James 
Sigler,  whom  she  survives  a  resident  of  Lewistown.  Elisha  Bratton 
married  (second)  Mary  A.  Snyder;  children:  Lottie,  died  infancy;  an 
infant  died  unnamed ;  Leah  Jane,  married  Edward  Postlewaite,  and 
resides  in  Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania. 

Catherine  Swigert,  first  wife  of  Elisha  Bratton,  was  a  daughter  of 
John  Swigert.  and  granddaughter  of  Adam  and  Eve  Swigert,  the  emi- 
grants from  Germany.  John  Swigert,  on  May  29,  1792,  bought  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  wild  land  from  William  Harper,  in  Oliver 
township,  which  he  cleared  and  improved,  and  in  1836,  a  John  Swigert 
was  assessed  on  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres.  Peter  and  Christian  Swi- 
gert also  settled  in  Ferguson's  Valley.  The  Swigerts  were  members  of 
the  German  Baptist  church  (Dunkard).  John  Swigert  married  (first) 
L.  Miller  and  had  issue  :  Catherine,  married  Elisha  Bratton ;  Mary,  mar- 
ried Joseph  R.  Hanawalt.  John  Swigert  married  (second)  Margaret 
Hood,  who  bore  him  a  large  family. 

(III)  William  Charles,  son  of  Elisha  and  Catherine  (Swigert)  Brat- 
ton, was  born  in  Oliver  township,  Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  January 
24,  1844.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  school  and  grew  to  manhood  in 
his  native  township,  following  farming  until  1870.  He  then  moved  to 
Lewistown,  where  he  built  a  home  at  No.  i  Juniata  street,  which  has 
since  been  his  home.     For  seven  years  he  was  a  traveling  salesman, 


430  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

handling  a  line  of  dry  goods  and  notions,  and  for  twenty-five  years  dealt 
in  stock,  lumber,  etc.  He  now  lives  retired  from  all  business,  save  the 
care  of  his  private  interests.  In  political  faith  he  is  a  Prohibitionist  and 
in  religion  is  a  Presbyterian.  He  is  a  veteran  of  the  civil  war,  and  was 
a  member  of  the  state  militia,  previous  to  his  enlistment  in  Company  K, 
202nd  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry,  serving  until  the 
close  of  the  war. 

Mr.  Bratton  married,  December  26,  1867,  Sarah  Houtz,  daughter  of 
Emanuel  Houtz.  Children:  One  died  unnamed;  \\'alter  Boyd,  of 
whom  further;  Edward  Elisha,  now  a  civil  engineer  and  contractor  of 
Philadelphia;  Ira  H.,  died  aged  ten  years;  Jay  McCuUough,  in  the  music 
business ;  William  Charles,  a  civil  engineer  in  Albany,  New  York ;  Car- 
roll, died  aged  eighteen  months. 

(IV)  Walter  Boyd,  eldest  son  of  William  Charles  and  Sarah 
(Houtz)  Bratton,  was  born  in  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania.  March  15, 
1872.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  a  trade  school  in  New 
York  City.  After  leaving  school  he  went  to  Troy,  New  York,  where  he 
learned  the  plumbing  trade.  In  1895  he  established  in  business  on  his 
own  account  at  No.  21  Valley  street,  Lewistown,  remaining  there  one 
year,  then  for  six  years  was  located  on  the  public  square.  He  then 
erected  a  three-story  store  building  at  Nos.  13-15  and  19  Valley  street, 
where  he  was  in  successful  business  until  1907,  when  he  sold  out  and  for 
two  years  was  out  of  business  in  Lewistown.  For  nine  months  he  was 
engaged  on  a  large  contract  in  Philadelphia,  then  returned  to  Lewistown, 
where  he  is  now  engaged  in  the  plumbing  business  with  S.  S.  Bratton, 
under  the  firm  name  \V  B.  &  S.  S.  Bratton.  He  has  been  very  success- 
ful in  his  undertakings,  and  ranks  as  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  his 
town.  Mr.  Bratton  built  his  present  home  at  the  corner  of  Market  and 
Tuniata  streets,  during  the  years  he  was  out  of  business.  It  is  a  mod- 
ern two-story  house,  built  of  mottled  brick,  and  stands  close  to  the 
bridge.  He  is  an  independent  Republican  in  politics;  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Royal  Arcanum,  taking  ac- 
tive interest  in  both  these  fraternities.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

He  married,  December  3,  1896,  Anna  McKee,  born  in  Granville 
township,  Mifflin  county,  daughter  of  George  and  Anna  McKee.  Chil- 
dren :  Ruth,  Edith  and  Sarah. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  431 

This  is  a   Scotch-Irish  family  that  early  settled  in  the 
ERISBIN     Juniata  Valley.     James  Brisbin,  born  in  Center  county, 

early  settled  near  Reedsville,  Mifflin  county,  where  he  en- 
tered about  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  government  land.  He  held 
for  several  years  a  commission  as  justice  of  the  peace  under  appoint- 
ment of  the  governor  of  Pennsylvania.  He  cleared  his  land  with  the 
help  of  his  sturdy  sons  and  lived  on  his  homestead  until  death.  He  was 
a  Democrat  in  politics  and  both  he  and  his  wife  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  He  married  Margaret  McManigal,  born  in  Mifflin  county. 
Children:  i.  Sarah  (Sally),  married  B.  McNitt,  and  died  at  Milroy, 
Pennsylvania.  2.  James,  died  in  1896,  at  the  old  homestead;  for  forty 
years  he  was  school  director;  unmarried.  3.  Mary,  married  John  Mc- 
Dowell, and  died  in  Reedsville,  Pennsylvania.  4.  Will  John,  of  whom 
further.  5.  Elizabeth.  Three  other  children,  William,  John  and  Mary, 
died  in  infancy. 

(II)  Will  John,  son  of  James  and  Margaret  (McManigal)  Brisbin, 
was  born  near  Reedsville,  Pennsylvania,  married,  lived  and  died  there. 
He  attended  the  common  school,  and  spent  his  early  life  in  a  store  in 
Reedsville.  After  his  marriage  he  spent  two  years  in  the  commission 
business  in  Philadelphia,  but  his  health  failing  he  returned  to  Reedsville. 
He  then  opened  a  general  store  there,  which  he  conducted  until  his  death 
in  1872.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  never  accepted  public  office. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
married  Anna  Maria  Mann,  daughter  of  William  and  Ann  (Hutchi- 
son) Mann,  an  old  Massachusetts  family  that  settled  in  Mifflin  county, 
between  Lewistown  and  Reedsville,  and  there  William  Mann  established 
a  factory  for  the  manufacture  of  axes  that  became  famous  as  the  \\'il- 
liani  Mann,  Jr.  &  Company,  now  the  James  H.  Mann  Compam-.  Wil- 
liam Mann,  by  a  first  wife,  had  a  daughter,  Beulah,  who  died  young. 
Children  by  his  second  wife:  James,  died  1906,  at  Mann's  Narrows: 
William,  died  in  1876,  on  the  Ohio  river;  Anna  Maria,  married  (first) 
Will  John  Brisbin,  whom  she  survived  and  married  (second)  Jerry  j\l. 
Yeager,  and  moved  to  Yeagertown,  where  she  died  in  August,  1910; 
Fearn,  died  at  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania ;  Charles,  died  of  pneumonia  at 
the  age  of  twenty-eight  years.  Children  of  Will  John  and  Anna  Maria 
Brisbin:  William  Mann,  now  a  farmer  of  Yeagertown;  Sarah,  died  in 
infancy;  Brice,  died  in  infancy;  Charles  H.,  of  whom  further.     By  her 


432  HISTORY   OF  THE  JUNIATA   VALLEY 

second  husband,  Jerry  M.  Yeager,  she  had  a  daughter,  Bertha  M.,  who 
married  Charles  Rice,  a  merchant  of  Reedsville. 

(Ill)  Dr.  Charles  Hutchison  Brisbin,  son  of  Will  John  and  Anna 
I\Iaria  (Mann)  Brisbin,  was  born  at  ]\Iann's  Narrows,  Alifflin  county, 
Pennsylvania,  June  12,  1867.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
and  Lewistown  Academy,  Hackettstown  (New  Jersey)  Academy  and 
New  Bloomfield  Academy.  After  completing  his  academical  courses 
he  entered  Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  whence  he  was  grad- 
uated M.  D.,  class  of  1890.  He  at  once  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession in  Yeagertown,  remaining  there  seven  years.  He  then  prac- 
ticed one  year  in  Middleburg,  Pennsylvania,  thence  in  1898  coming  to 
Lewistown,  where  he  established  a  lucrative  general  practice,  and  so 
continued  until  1908.  He  then  took  special  courses  in  the  diseases  of  the 
lungs,  which  specialty  he  has  followed  in  connection  with  his  general 
practice  ever  since.  For  the  past  five  years  he  has  been  in  charge  of  the 
State  Free  Tuberculosis  Dispensary  and  is  Mifflin  county's  medical  in- 
spector. He  is  an  authority  on  lung  diseases,  but  is  constantly  pursuing 
study  and  experiment,  and  has  taken  the  advanced  work  at  Philadel- 
phia, under  state  supervision.  He  is  a  member  of  both  state  and  county 
medical  societies,  is  at  present  (1913)  president  of  the  Mifflin  County 
Medical  Society,  and  stands  high  as  a  lung  specialist.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  belong  to  the  Presbyterian 
church. 

He  married,  August  27,  1896,  Anna  Shirey,  born  in  Snyder  county, 
daughter  of  Isaac  and  Harriet  (Lehr)  Shirey.  Children:  Will  John 
(2),  born  July  4,  1897;  Isaac  Lehr,  August  2,  1903,  and  Harriet  Isabel, 
born  January  31,  1913. 


The  Russells  of  this  record  descend  from  James  Russell, 
RUSSELL  who  came  from  Ireland,  about  1750,  with  his  brothers, 
William  and  Joshua.  Joshua  settled  on  a  farm  about 
four  miles  north  of  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  the  father  of 
twenty  children,  only  one  of  whom  reached  adult  years,  all  dying  in  in- 
fancy. William  settled  near  Brownsville.  James  Russell  owned  and 
cultivated  a  farm  four  miles  northwest  of  Gettysburg,  and  two  miles 
west  of  the  estate  of  his  brother,  William.  He  died  about  1805,  leaving 
eight  children :  Sons — Samuel,  Alexander,  John  and  James ;  daughters — 


i 


(yvr73y.,.:^a^^  kA 


HISTORY   OF   THE  JUNIATA   VALLEY  433 

Hannah,  married  David  Hosack,  of  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia; Elizabeth,  married  James  Speer,  of  Indiana,  Pennsylvania;  Jane, 
married  John  Dickson,  of  Adams  county,  Pennsylvania;  Mary,  married 
Achison  Laughlin,  of  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania.  Samuel,  one  of 
the  sons,  lived  on  his  own  farm  adjoining  his  father's,  later  selling  it 
and  moving  to  Huntsville  in  the  same  county,  thence  to  Connellsville, 
Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  died  leaving  several  sons  and 
daughters.  John,  another  son,  lived  for  many  years  on  the  homestead, 
then  moved  to  an  adjoining  tract,  where  he  lived  until  death,  leaving 
issue.  James,  another  son,  was  in  mercantile  business  in  Alexandria,  D. 
C,  in  1808,  married  and  left  issue.  Alexander,  one  of  the  four  sons 
of  James  Russell,  the  emigrant,  mentioned  below,  is  the  ancestor  of  the 
Lewistown  branch. 

(II)  Alexander,  son  of  James  Russell,  was  born  February  25,  1758, 
in  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  that  portion  out  of  which  Adams  was 
later  created.  He  grew  to  manhood  at  the  homestead  farm  near  Gettys- 
burg, Pennsylvania,  and  when  the  war  for  independence  broke  out  was 
a  student  at  Princeton  College,  preparing  for  the  ministry  in  accordance 
with  the  wishes  of  his  father.  He  left  school  to  enter  the  service.  He 
was  commissioned  second  lieutenant  in  Captain  William  Alexander's 
company,  of  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  was  promoted  first  lieutenant  Sep- 
tember I,  1777,  and  resigned  April  16,  1779.  After  the  war  he  settled  in 
Philadelphia,  where  he  engaged  in  merchandising.  About  1785  he 
moved  to  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  merchant  there  until  1787, 
when  he  moved  to  a  farm  on  Marsh  creek,  about  three  miles  west  of 
Gettysburg,  continuing  there  until  1796,  when  he  moved  to  Gettysburg, 
where  he  was  a  merchant  and  iron  manufacturer  until  his  death,  April 
15,  1836.    The  following  notice  of  his  death  is  from  a  paper  of  the  time : 

"Died,  at  his  residence  in  the  Borough  of  Gettysburg  on  the  morning 
of  Friday  last  ("April  15,  1836),  in  the  79  year  of  his  age,  Alexander 
Russell,  Esq.  The  deceased  left  the  quiet  pursuits  of  Princeton  Col- 
lege at  an  early  age  and  united  himself  with  the  destinies  of  his  country 
in  the  battle  field.  From  his  regiment  in  the  Pennsylvania  line,  com- 
manded by  Col.  Irvine,  into  which  he  first  entered,  he  was  commissioned 
Ensign  and  subsequently  First  Lieutenant  in  Capt.  Alexander's  Com- 
pany, and  continued  in  the  serv'ice  until  1779,  having  borne  his  part  in 
the  battles  of  Brandywine,  \\1iite  House,  Paoli,  Germantown  and  Mon- 
mouth; and  having  long  been  permitted  to  see  his  country  free  and 


434  HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

happy,  has  laid  down  the  burden  of  his  years  peacefully  to  rest  in  her 
bosom.  As  a  public  officer  and  a  citizen  he  was  faithful  and  perse- 
vering in  duty ;  as  a  friend,  constant  and  sincere ;  as  a  husband  and 
father,  it  would  be  a  futile  attempt  of  the  writer  to  speak.  The  scenes 
of  his  dying  chamber  proclaimed  in  the  bursts  of  grief,  what  he  had 
been  to  those  he  had  long  cherished  and  loved.  'Mark  the  good  man 
and  behold  the  upright,  for  the  end  of  that  man  is  peace.'  " 

Alexander  Russell  married,  in  York,  Pennsylvania,  Mary,  born  Sep- 
tember 27,  1763,  daughter  of  Robert  McPherson,  of  a  place  near  Gettys- 
burg. She  survived  him  and  continued  her  residence  in  Gettysburg  until 
her  death,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  Children:  i.  James  McPher- 
son, born  November  10,  1786;  a  lawyer  by  profession;  married,  Febru- 
ary 8,  1812,  Rebecca  Lyon,  who  died  September  11,  1863.  aged  seventy- 
seven  years.  2.  Nancy,  born  August  6,  1788;  married  September  5, 
181 5,  John  M.  Stevenson,  of  Baltimore,  who  died  June  8,  1870;  she  died 
June  14,  1873.  3.  Robert  Gier,  born  August  20,  1790,  died  February 
18,  1855;  he  married  (first)  June  21,  1815,  Sarah  C.  Bean,  who  died 
June  29,  1816;  he  married  (second)  September,  1818,  Susan  H. 
Worthington,  and  resided  in  Rockville,  Maryland.  4.  Hannah,  born 
September  22,  1792.  died  March  25.  1836.  5.  Alexander,  born  August 
31,  1795.  died  April  15,  1836.  6.  Maria,  born  February  28,  1797,  died 
July  3,  1888;  married,  February  21,  1822,  Robert  W.  Wilson.  7.  John, 
born  February  13,  1799,  died  December  27,  1825,  a  physician.  8.  Sam- 
uel Riddle,  born  June  21,  1801.  died  August  15,  1894.  9.  William,  of 
whom  further. 

(Ill)  William,  youngest  child  of  Alexander  and  Mary  (McPherson) 
Russell,  was  born  in  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania,  July  30.  1803,  died  in 
Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  in  July.  1886.  He  received  a  tine  education, 
including  a  wide  knowledge  of  Latin  and  Greek.  In  earlier  life  he  was 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  iron  as  a  member  of  the  firm,  Paxton, 
Stevens  &  Company,  one  of  his  partners  being  the  later  celebrated  Aboli- 
tionist, Thaddeus  Stevens,  who  was  also  his  personal  friend  and  politi- 
cal mentor.  Later,  however,  Mr.  Russell  became  interested  in  banking, 
being  employed  in  the  old  Lancaster  Bank  and  in  a  similar  institution  in 
Columbia,  Pennsylvania.  In  1848  he  located  in  Lewistown,  coming 
as  agent  of  the  Lancaster  Bank  to  establish  a  branch  of  that  institution. 
This  branch  was  known  as  Longnecker-Grubb  &  Company,  bankers,  and 


7h//io,n  .^U4.i,// 


HISTORY    OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  435 

so  existed  until  the  failure  of  the  Lancaster  Bank  in  1852.  Mr.  Russell 
then  continued  in  business  under  his  own  name,  and  as  William  Russell, 
Banker,  conducted  a  private  bank  at  the  corner  of  Brown  and  Market 
streets  in  the  building  erected  in  1837  by  the  Lewistown  Bank,  and  he 
also  had  his  residence  in  the  house  built  on  the  rear  of  the  same  lot.  It 
is  believed  to  have  been  at  that  time  the  onlj-  bank  between  Harrisburg 
and  Williamsport.  He  continued  business  as  William  Russell,  Banker, 
until  January  i,  1883.  when  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  William 
Russell  &  Son,  the  present  title  and  location  being  the  same  as  when  first 
started.  Mr.  Russell  was  a  wise  financier,  successful  in  business,  and, 
while  he  surrendered  the  leadership  and  burden  to  his  son,  did  not  retire 
until  death  claimed  him  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  He  did  a 
great  deal  for  the  development  of  Lewistown,  organized  or  assisted  in 
the  organization  of  many  industries ;  was  borough  treasurer,  also  treas- 
urer of  the  Gas  Company  and  the  Water  \\'orks  Company.  He  was 
high-minded  and  honorable  in  business  and  a  warm  friend  of  church  and 
school.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church;  his  wife  of  the 
Episcopal.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican  and,  as  stated,  a  friend  of 
Stevens  and  ardently  supported  the  principles  of  that  party. 

He  married  (first)  May  10,  1853,  Mary  Grace  Mayer,  who  died  in 
May,  1872,  daughter  of  George  Louis  and  Esther  (Clarkson)  Ma^er, 
both  natives  of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  of  German  and  Scotch 
descent.  George  Louis  Mayer  was  a  hardware  merchant  and  president 
of  The  Farmers'  Bank  from  1829  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1837.  This  institution  was  merged  and  is  now  the  Farmer's 
Trust  Company  of  Lancaster.  He  died  in  middle  age;  was  the  father  of 
fourteen  children;  a  Whig  in  politics  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Episcopal  church,  \^'illiam  Russell  married  Tsecond)  a 
widow,  Mrs.  Molly  Myers,  daughter  of  Joseph  Milliken.  Children,  all 
by  first  marriage:  i.  William  Clarkson,  died  unmarried.  September  I, 
1890.  2.  George  Louis,  of  whom  further.  3.  Esther  Clarkson.  married 
Rev.  Henry  E.  Cooke  and  resides  in  Cleveland.  Ohio.  4.  Samuel  Riddle, 
now  assistant  cashier  of  the  Western  Reserve  National  Bank  of  Warren, 
Ohio. 

(IV)  George  Louis,  second  son  of  William  and  Mary  Grace  (Mayer) 
Russell,  was  born  in  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  January  29,  1858.  He 
was  educated  in  the  Lewistown  Academy  and  Cheltenham  Academy, 


436  HISTORY   OF   THE  JUNIATA  VALLEY 

beginning  business  life  in  his  father's  bank,  when  sixteen  years  of  age,  in 
1874.  In  1883  he  was  admitted  a  partner  and  the  firm  name  .changed  to 
\\'illiam  Russell  &  Son.  At  his  father's  death  he  became  sole  owner 
and  continued  as  a  private  banker.  In  1900  the  Belleville  National  Bank 
of  Lewistown  was  organized  with  Mr.  Russell  as  president,  a  position 
he  has  most  capably  filled  to  the  present  time.  He  continues  his  resi- 
dence in  the  large  red  brick  building  that  also  contains  the  bank.  Al- 
though built  in  1837  the  building  is  still  in  good  condition  and  must, 
at  the  time  of  its  erection,  have  been  far  in  advance  of  the  needs  of 
that  early  day.  Mr.  Russell  is  a  Republican  in  politics;  has  served  as 
borough  treasurer  and  as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  He  is  one 
of  the  substantial  and  highly  respected  men  of  his  town.  The  family 
belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Lewis- 
town  Lodge,  No.  203,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

He  married  in  1880,  Anna  Leah  Brisbin,  born  in  Lewistown,  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  J.  and  Catherine  (Blymeyer)  Brisbin,  formerly  of  Center 
county,  Pennsylvania.  Children  of  George  L.  Russell:  i.  ^Nlary  Grace, 
born  in  July,  188 1 ;  married  W'alter  Fosnot.  2.  Samuel  Brisbin,  born 
January  7,  1883,  engaged  in  banking  with  his  father;  married  Carrie 
Swanger,  deceased.  3.  Catherine  McPherson,  born  April  15,  1885,  died 
June  30,  191 1  :  married  M.  T.  Jones.  4.  Esther  Clarkson,  born  May  16, 
1887,  married  D.  C.  Pomeroy  and  resides  at  Port  Royal,  Pennsylvania. 
5.  William,  born  May  13,  1888,  married  Estella  Dreese  and  resides  in 
Los  Angeles,  California.  6.  George  Louis,  born  May  6,  1896,  now  a 
student  at  Lawrenceville  Preparatory  School,  class  of  1913.  7.  Anna, 
twin  of  George  Louis,  residing  at  home. 

The  Russell  and  Buchanan  families  were  early  connected  by  mar- 
riage, the  father  of  President  James  Buchanan,  and  Alexander  Russell 
(of  the  second  generation)  having  been  either  first  or  second  cousins. 
This  relationship  was  well  understood,  as  President  Buchanan  in  a  letter 
to  James  ^McPherson  Russell  signs  himself  "Your  kinsman."  These 
two  men  were  about  the  same  age  and  classmates  at  school. 


For  fifty-five  years  Adam  Lotzgeselle  was  a  resi- 
LOTZGESELLE     dent  of  Lewistown,  coming  from  his  native  Ger- 
many at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years.     He  was 
born  in  \\^attembach,  Hesse-Cassel,  Germany,  July  11,  1836,  died  Janu- 


HISTORY   OF  THE  JUNIATA  VALLEY  437 

ary  3,  1913.  He  was  a  son  of  Sebastian  Lotzgeselle,  a  farmer  and  small 
landowner,  who  lived  and  died  in  Germany,  as  did  all  his  family  of 
seven  children,  except  Adam.  Descendants,  however,  of  Sebastian  later 
came  to  the  United  States  and  are  found  in  Pottstown,  Pennsylvania, 
and  in  the  state  of  Washington. 

Adam  Lotzgeselle  received  a  good  education  in  the  German  schools, 
and  while  a  minor  worked  with  his  father.  On  attaining  his  majority 
he  sailed  for  the  United  States,  embarking  from  Bremen  in  September, 
1857,  arriving  at  Baltimore,  Maryland,  October  9,  following.  Soon 
after  his  arrival  he  located  in  Lewistown,  where  he  obtained  employ- 
ment as  a  freight  handler  for  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  at  the  Lewis- 
town  station,  which  was  then  located  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river, 
all  freight  being  hauled  from  there  to  town  in  wagons  and  drays,  over 
the  old  plank  road,  leading  from  what  is  now  Lewistown  Junction  to 
the  wooden  covered  bridge,  crossing  the  Juniata  on  the  site  of  the 
present  railroad  bridge.  He  was  identified  with  the  interest  of  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad  for  over  twenty  years,  holding  the  same  position 
on  this  side  of  the  river,  when  the  freight  station  was  transferred  to 
the  borough  depot  in  1872.  In  later  years  he  became  a  merchant,  deal- 
ing extensively  in  groceries,  also  in  salt  fish  and  fresh  vegetables,  at  his 
well  known  store  and  warehouse  on  Chestnut  street.  Soon  after  coming 
to  the  United  States,  Mr.  Lotzgeselle  became  a  naturalized  American 
citizen,  in  the  Miiillin  county  courts,  and  always  took  an  active  interest 
in  state  and  national  issues.  He  was  a  quiet,  retiring  man,  his  German 
energy  keeping  him  well  abreast  of  the  times  and  his  honest  business 
methods  holding  the  respect  of  his  associates. 

He  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Seventy-eighth  Pennsylvania  Volunteer 
Infantry,  under  Captain  A.  B.  Selheimer,  it  being  the  last  company  to 
enter  the  civil  war  from  Mifflin  county.  He  was  a  member  of  Colonel 
Hastings  Post,  No.  176,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  Lewistown; 
was  the  second  oldest  Odd  Fellow  in  Lewistown,  having  joined  the 
order  in  1865,  the  senior  member  being  William  N.  Hoffmann,  who 
became  a  member  in  1863.  Air.  Lotzgeselle  was  active  in  the  work  of 
the  order  and  served  as  trustee  four  years. 

He  was  an  attendant  of  the  Lutheran  church,  of  which  his  family 
were  members.  He  married  in  Lewistown,  March  8,  i860,  Anna  C. 
Heineman,  of  Wattembach,  Germany,  daughter  of  Henry  Heineman, 


438  HISTORY   OF  THE   JUNIATA  VALLEY 

who  died  in  Germany.  She  and  her  mother  came  to  this  country  on  the 
same  ship  as  Mr.  Lotzgeselle.  They  made  their  home  with  a  son,  Sebas- 
tian Heineman,  a  farmer;  his  widow  resides  on  Valley  street,  aged 
eighty-six.  Children  of  Adam  Lotzgeselle:  i.  George  C.,  died  in  infancy. 
2.  ALred,  died  aged  four.  3.  John,  died  April  5,  1905,  aged  forty-seven, 
unmarried.  4.  Harry  J.,  custom  house  employee  in  Philadelphia;  mar- 
ried Ida  C.  Pearson;  two  children,  Ethel  and  Bessie.  5.  Annie  C., 
married  John  Decker,  a  resident  of  Lewistown;  children:  Gertrude. 
Ralph  and  Paul.  6.  r^Iary ;  married  Robert  Bearley  and  resides  in 
Lewistown ;  children  :  Katherine,  deceased ;  Edward,  Jeanette  and  Marie. 
7.  Carrie,  married  Harry  Dippery  and  resides  in  Lewistown :  children : 
One  died  in  infancy;  Eugene.  8.  Catherine,  married  Carl  \Veber,  of 
Lewistown ;  children :  Helen  and  Carl.    9.  Bessie,  died  aged  seven  years. 


The  Shulls  are  of  German  descent  and  trace  to  Abraham 
SHULL     and  Elizabeth  Shull,  of  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania.     She 

was  born  in  Perry  county  where  they  were  married  and 
reared  their  five  children:  i.  Thomas,  a  contractor,  unmarried.  2. 
Eliza,  married  Christian  Beck,  a  tailor,  and  died  at  Millerstown.  3. 
IMargaret,  died  at  Millerstown,  Pennsylvania  ;  married  Christian  Hoover, 
a  tailor.  4.  Abraham  (2),  died  at  Lewistown.  a  carpenter;  married 
Ellen  Wonder.     5.  Chauncey  ]\1.,  of  whom  further. 

(II)  Chauncey  M.,  youngest  son  of  Abraham  and  Elizabeth  Shull, 
was  born  in  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  1829.  He  learned  tailoring, 
and  when  yet  a  single  man  came  to  Lewistown,  where  he  married  and 
worked  at  his  trade  until  his  death.  His  shop  was  located  at  the  Five 
Points  for  many  years,  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  Heading's  Drug 
store.  He  finally  retired  late  in  life  and  devoted  himself  entirely  to  his 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  holding  that  office  twenty-five  years.  He 
was  an  enlisted  member  of  the  Logan  Guards  and  during  the  civil  war 
enlisted  in  the  Eighty-third  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  participating  in  many  of  the  im- 
portant battles  of  the  war.  He  was  a  Republican;  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Good  Templars;  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic; 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and,  with  his  wife,  belonged  to 
the  Presbyterian  church.  He  married  Elizabeth  Moore,  born  in  Ireland 
in  1825,  and  brought  to  the  United  States  by  her  parents  when  a  child. 


HISTORY   OF   THE  JUNIATA   VALLEY  439 

Her  parents,  John  and  Elizabeth  (Karns)  Moore,  were  both  born  in 
Belfast,  Ireland,  where  they  married  and  about  1835  came  to  the  United 
States,  settling  in  Philadelphia  (Kensington),  where  they  died.  Both 
were  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  Children:  i.  Jane, 
died  in  San  Francisco,  California,  unmarried.  2.  Agnes,  died  in  San 
Francisco,  unmarried.  3.  James,  lived  and  died  in  Philadelphia;  owner 
of  the  Bush  Hill  Iron  Works,  located  on  the  present  site  of  the  United 
States  Mint.  4.  Sarah,  married  Enoch  Swayne  and  died  in  Lewistown, 
Pennsylvania.  5.  Elizabeth,  lived  in  Philadelphia  until  her  parents' 
death,  then  joined  her  sister  Sarah  in  Lewistown,  and  there  married 
Chauncey  M.  Shull.  6.  Mary,  married  Edward  Thatcher  and  died  in 
San  Francisco.  Children  of  Chauncey  M.  Shull:  i.  Ehzabeth  (Betty), 
married  Joseph  L.  McKinney  and  resides  in  Lewistown.  2.  James,  died 
in  infancy.  3.  Blanche,  married  William  H.  Rodgers,  whom  she  sur- 
vives, a  resident  of  Juniata,  Pennsylvania.  4.  Chauncey  E.,  of  whom 
further. 

(Ill)  Chauncey  E.,  son  of  Chauncey  M.  and  Elizabeth  (Moore) 
Shull,  was  born  in  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  March  11,  1861.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Lewistown  academy  and,  after  ob- 
taining his  education,  learned  the  tinner's  trade.  He  followed  his  trade 
until  twenty-three  years  of  age,  then  in  1884  formed  a  partnership 
with  his  father,  one  a  merchant  tailor  the  other  dealing  in  ready-made 
clothing  in  the  same  building,  at  No.  no  East  Market  street.  After 
the  retirement  of  his  father,  Chauncey  E.  continued  in  the  same  business 
and  now  has  a  well  stocked,  modern  clothing  and  furnishing  store  and  a 
well  established,  prosperous  business.  He  has  now  transacted  business 
in  the  same  building  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  has  built  up 
a  reputation  for  honorable  dealing  that  insures  him  the  patronage  and 
respect  of  his  community.  He  is  fond  of  outdoor  life  and  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Lewistown  Rod  and  Gun  Club.  He  belongs  to  the  Royal 
Arcanum  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.     In  political  faith  Mr.  Shull  is  a  Presbyterian. 

He  married,  June  24,  1891,  Catherine  E.  Sherlock,  born  in  Carlisle, 
Pennsvlvania,  daughter  of  Rev.  Thomas  and  Kate  (Colcher)  Sherlock, 
he  born  in  Philadelphia,  she  in  Schuylkill  Haven,  Pennsylvania.  Chil- 
dren of  Chauncey  E.  and  Catherine  E.  Shull:  i.  Leland  S.,  born  June  3, 
1893,   educated  in  high  school,   now  in  business  with  his   father.     2. 


440  ■  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY 

Maurice,  born  November  29,  1894,  educated  in  Lewistown  high  school, 
also  in  his  father's  store.  3.  Catherine,  born  October  2,  1900.  4.  Chaun- 
cey  E.  (2),  May  9,  1902. 


This  family  name,  also  spelled  Swigert,  was  brought 
SWIGART     to  ^Mifflin  county  at  an  early  day  by  John  Swigart  and 

his  brothers,  Peter  and  Christian.  They  were  sons  of 
Adam  and  Eve  Swigart,  who  came  to  Eastern  Pennsylvania  from  Ger- 
many, settling  in  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania. 

(II)  John,  son  of  Adam  Swigart,  was  born  in  Berks  county  in 
1757.  On  j\Iay  29,  1792,  he  bought  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 
land  of  William  Harper,  adjoining  land  of  widow  Talor  and  James 
Bratton.  It  was  described  as  being  in  the  upper  end  of  John  Brown's 
Narrows  along  Jack's  Mountain.  He  also  purchased  lands  in  Oliver 
township,  where,  in  1836,  John  Swigert  was  assessed  on  two  hundred 
and  fifty  acres.  Peter  and  Christian  Swigart  lived  and  farmed  in  Fergu- 
son's Valley.  John  Swigart  erected  a  stone  house,  on  his  Oliver  town- 
ship farm,  which  is  still  standing.  He  died  in  1806,  leaving  a  large 
family,  including  several  sons,  who  settled  on  and  near  the  homestead. 

(III)  John  (2),  son  of  John  (i)  Swigart,  was  born  in  Oliver  town- 
ship, Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1786.  He  was  born  on  the  old 
homestead  which  he  inherited,  passed  his  life  upon  and  there  died  in 
1858.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Church  of  The  Brethren,  a  branch  of 
the  German  Baptist  church.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics ;  held  several 
local  offices  and  was  a  man  of  substance  as  well  as  influence.  He  mar- 
ried (first)  Catherine  Aliller,  who  bore  him  daughters,  Catherine  and 
Mary.  He  married  (second)  Margaret  Hood,  of  Irish  descent.  Chil- 
dren, all  deceased :  Amanda,  Margaret  Ann,  Levi,  Eve  Elizabeth,  Sam- 
uel, Rachel,  Alartha,  James,  and  Abram  Rothrock,  who  is  further  men- 
tioned below. 

(IV)  Abram  Rothrock,  son  of  John  (2)  and  Llargaret  (Hood) 
Swigart,  was  born  in  Oliver  township,  March  4,  1847,  died  February 
II,  1902.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  also  a  molder,  working  for  a  time 
in  the  machine  shops  near  ^^IcVeytown,  but  carpentering  was  his  princi- 
pal occupation.  He  owned  a  farm  of  thirty  acres  near  McVeytown, 
on  which  he  lived  until  late  in  life.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  served 
three  years  as  road  supervisor  and  six  years  as  tax  collector.     He  was 


HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY  441 

a  member  of  the  Church  of  The  Brethren,  and  a  man  of  clean,  upright, 
honorable  life. 

He  married,  October  4,  1870,  Jane  Rupert,  born  in  Warriors  Mark 
township,  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  February  12,  1853.  She 
survives  her  husband  and  resides  in  Lewistown  with  her  son,  Samuel 
W.  Swigart.  Children:  i.  John  Rupert,  born  July  10,  1873,  now  a 
fireman  in  the  employ  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  residing  at  Harris- 
burg,  Pennsylvania;  married  Ella  Bortell  and  has  Edith,  Howard  and 
George.  2.  Marian  Allen,  born  January  i,  1875;  married  Harry  Cros- 
son  and  resides  in  Oliver  township  on  part  of  the  Swigart  homestead ; 
children :  Vaughn,  Berenice,  Samuel  and  Mildred.  3.  Samuel  Wakefield, 
of  whom  further.  Jane  (Rupert)  Swigart,  mother  of  these  three  chil- 
dren, is  a  daughter  of  John  Rupert,  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, May  14,  1823,  died  in  Oliver  township,  Mifflin  county,  February 
5,  1881,  son  of  Adam  and  Catherine  (Foust)  Rupert,  of  Franklin  and 
Huntingdon  counties.  Adam  Rupert,  a  shoemaker  and  farmer,  died  in 
Huntingdon  county,  aged  ninety-six  years.  John  Rupert  was  for  thirty 
years  a  deacon  of  the  German  Baptist  church  and,  until  1852,  was  a 
resident  of  Henderson  township,  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania.  He 
resided  in  Warriors  Mark  township  three  years,  then  in  Brady  town- 
ship until  i860,  when  he  married  a  widow,  Rebecca  (Kinsel)  Allen,  and 
settled  on  her  farm  in  Oliver  township.  By  this  second  marriage  there 
were  six  children.  His  first  wife,  Martha  Wakefield,  was  born  in  Crom- 
well township,  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  16,  1823,  died 
in  Brady  township,  same  county,  October  7,  1857.  Children  of  John 
Rupert  by  first  wife:  i.  Elizabeth,  married  Samuel  James  Swigart, 
a  minister  of  the  Church  of  The  Brethren.  2.  Eli  W.,  a  school  teacher 
of  Pennsylvania  and  Illinois;  married  Martha  Curlee.  3.  Samuel  G.,  a 
minister  of  the  Church  of  The  Brethren;  married  Rebecca  Elizabeth 
Raney.  4.  Adam  P.,  married  Minnie  Rhoads.  5.  Jane,  widow  of  Abram 
Rothrock  Swigart.  6.  George  C,  a  teacher  and  farmer  of  Osborne 
county,  Kansas ;  married  Emma  Galbraith.  7.  Mary,  married  Samuel 
W.  Allison  and  resides  in  Oliver  township,  Mifflin  county.  Children  of 
John  Rupert  by  second  wife:  Rebecca,  William,  Christian,  Anna,  Ed- 
ward and  Frederick,  twins.  Martha  (Wakefield)  Rupert  was  the  eldest 
child  of  Eli  Wakefield,  born  in  Oliver  township,  Mifflin  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, April  15,  1795,  died  in  Brady  township,  Huntingdon  county. 


442  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

He  married  Elizabeth  Way,  born  in  Half  Moon  township,  Center 
county,  and  both  are  buried  in  the  family  burying  ground  on  his  farm 
in  Brady  township:  they  had  nine  children,  all  of  whom  reached  adult 
age,  married  and  reared  families.  Eli  Wakefield  was  a  son  of  George 
Wakefield,  born  April  13,  1758,  died  November  24,  1826;  married,  Alay 
8,  1788,  Rebecca  Passmore,  who  died  1826,  daughter  of  Augustine  and 
Hannah  (Howard)  Passmore.  They  had  five  children,  all  married  and 
heads  of  families,  except  one,  who  had  no  issue.  George  Wakefield  was 
a  son  of  John  Wakefield,  born  1727,  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends. 
He  had  by  wife  Martha  ten  children.  The  mother  and  children,  after 
the  death  of  their  father,  received  a  certificate  from  Nottingham  Monthly 
Meeting,  Cecil  county,  Maryland,  but  as  the  certificate  was  never  de- 
livered, and  George  Wakefield  and  Rebecca  Passmore  marrying  "out  of 
Meeting,"  they  were  disowned  by  Nottingham.  After  several  years  they 
made  an  acknowledgment  and  received  a  certificate  to  \\^arrington 
]\Ionthly  Meeting,  dated  8  mo.  27,  1803,  which  was  endorsed  to  the 
latter  to  Center  county   (Pennsylvania)    Meeting  9  mo.  8,    1804. 

Augustine  Passmore,  of  Cecil  county,  Maryland,  was  born  July  27, 
1714,  died  May  25,  1782.  He  married  (second)  January  28,  1754, 
Hannah  Howard,  born  February  15,  1729,  died  March  2,  1774.  Han- 
nah Howard  was  a  daughter  of  Henry  Howard,  who  was  "christened" 
December  22,  1689,  son  of  Richard  Howard  of  Lower  Dawven,  Lan- 
cashire, England.  He  died  in  Edgmont  township,  Chester  county  (now 
Delaware),  Pennsylvania,  October  12,  1760.  He  married,  6  mo.  11, 
1720,  at  Chester  Meeting,  Hannah  Sharpless,  born  at  Ridley,  Pennsyl- 
vania, 8  mo.  5,  1697,  died  10  mo.  17,  1780.  They  were  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  of  whom  Hannah  was  the  fifth.  Hannah  (Sharpless) 
Howard  was  the  daughter  of  John  (2)  Sharpless,  born  at  Blakenhall, 
Cheshire,  England,  11  mo.  16,  1666,  died  near  Chester,  Pennsylvania, 
7  mo.  9.  1747.  He  married,  9  mo.  23,  1692,  at  a  Meeting  held  at  John 
Bowaters'  house  in  Middletown  township,  now  Delaware,  then  Chester 
county,  Hannah  Pennell,  born  7  mo.  23,  1673,  died  10  mo.  31,  1721. 
John  (2)  Sharpless  was  a  son  of  John  (i)  Sharpless,  baptized  at  Wy- 
bunburg,  Cheshire,  England,  August  15,  1624,  died  near  Chester,  Penn- 
sylvania, 4  mo.  II,  1685  ;  married,  April  27,  1672,  Jane  Moor,  born  1638, 
died  9  mo.  i,  1722.  John  (i)  Sharpless  came  to  Pennsylvania  in  1682, 
and  is  the  ancestor  of  the  Sharpless  family  of  Philadelphia,  with  many 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  443 

main  and  collateral  branches  in  many  states,  including  the  branch  of 
the  Swigart  family. 

(V)  Dr.  Samuel  Wakefield  Swigart,  son  of  Abram  Rothrock  and 
Jane  (Rupert)  Swigart,  was  born  near  McVeytown,  Oliver  township, 
Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  September  7,  1877.  He  was  educated  in 
the  district  schools  and  Cumberland  Valley  State  Normal  School,  whence 
he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1899.  During  and  after  his  years 
of  preparation  he  taught  school,  his  services  in  that  profession  being  six 
years.  Deciding  upon  the  profession  of  medicine,  he  entered  Illinois 
Medical  College  at  Chicago,  whence  he  was  graduated  M.  D.,  class  of 
1906.  Dr.  Swigart  began  practise  in  Lewistown  at  once,  continuing 
there  until  191 1,  when  he  moved  to  Wattsburg,  Erie  county,  where  he 
remained  eighteen  months,  then  returned  to  Lewistown,  where  he  is 
now  (1913)  located.  He  is  highly  regarded  as  both  physician  and  citi- 
zen, while  his  practise  is  growing  in  importance  daily.  While  in  Erie 
county  he  was  county  physician  to  the  poor.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Medical  Association,  Pennsylvania  State  Medical  and  Mifflin 
County  Medical  societies,  taking  a  deep  interest  in  all  these  and  keeping 
abreast  of  all  medical  thought  and  discovery  that  will  increase  his  use- 
fulness. He  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  The  Brethren,  and  in  politi- 
cal faith  a  Democrat.  Through  his  Swigart,  Wakefield,  Passmore, 
Rupert  and  Sharpless  ancestors  he  is  connected  with  the  best  early 
Quaker,  German  and  English  families  of  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland, 
while  his  own  personality  and  professional  ability  have  won  for  him  a 
high  standing  in  the  community  in  which  his  lot  is  cast.  He  married, 
June  II,  1913,  Maude  Mabel  Mitchell,  a  native  of  Wattsburg,  Erie 
county,  and  member  of  an  old  and  prominent  family. 


Inseparably  connected  with  the  medical  history  of 
VAN  VALZAH     the  Buffalo  Valley,  Union  county,  Pennsylvania, 
is  the  name  Van  Valzah,  where  the  pioneer.  Dr. 
Robert  (2)  Van  Valzah,  lived  and  died,  being  followed  in  the  same  pro- 
fession by  sons,  grandsons  and  great-grandsons. 

(II)  Dr.  Robert  (2)  Van  Valzah  was  born  in  New  York  state,  at  his 
father's  home  on  the  Croton  river,  April  17,  1764,  died  at  Buffalo  Cross 
Roads,  Union  county  Pennsylvania,  April  18,  1850.  He  was  the  only 
son  of  Robert  (born  1733)  and  Mary  (born  1739)  Van  Valzah,  both 


444  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

born  in  Holland,  and  with  others  of  their  race  came  to  Xew  York,  set- 
tling along  the  Hudson  river,  where  they  lived  and  died.  Robert  en- 
tered the  revolutionary  army  when  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  serving 
in  two  campaigns.  After  the  war  he  studied  medicine  and  in  1786  came 
to  Pennsylvania  and  the  Buffalo  Valley.  He  arrived  at  Sunbury  with- 
out sufficient  funds  to  pay  his  ferriage  across  the  river,  but  one  of  the 
Beattys  gave  him  a  shilling  to  pay  his  way  across,  and  in  doing  so  made 
the  best  investment  in  his  life.  The  young  doctor  never  forgot  the 
favor  and  afterward  cared  for  one  of  the  Beatt}^  family,  during  his  life, 
and  by  his  will  provided  for  her  maintenance  on  his  farm  at  Buffalo 
Cross  Roads,  where  she  had  a  comfortable  home  until  her  death,  which 
occurred  in  1875. 

After  getting  safely  across  the  Susquehanna  he  continued  westward, 
settling  first  at  Penn's  Creek,  where  he  married  and  remained  two  years 
helping  his  father-in-law  in  the  meantime  to  build  a  mill.  In  1796  he 
settled  at  Buffalo  Cross  Roads  where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  prac- 
tised his  profession  until  late  in  life.  He  was  well  known  all  through 
the  Valley,  and  had  a  large  practise  in  Union  and  adjoining  counties. 
He  was  a  Democrat  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  He  married,  at  Penn's  Creek,  Elizabeth  Suther- 
land, who  died  in  1840.  Two  of  his  sons,  Robert  and  Thomas,  became 
eminent  as  physicians.  Children:  i.  Robert,  studied  medicine  with  his 
father,  settled  in  Mifflinburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  died  March  14, 
185 1,  aged  sixty-two  years.  He  married  and  had  seven  sons,  five  of 
whom  were  physicians,  as  follows :  i.  Robert  F.,  practised  at  Spring 
Mills,  Center  county,  where  he  died,  leaving  four  sons,  two  of  whom, 
Frank  and  Henry,  became  physicians,  ii.  Thomas,  practised  at  Boals- 
burg.  Center  county,  iii.  iMontgomery,  lived  in  Nebraska,  where  he  was 
killed  by  Indians  in  1870.  iv.  Samuel  H.,  practised  in  Lewisburg  and  INIif- 
flinburg,  Pennsylvania,  later  in  Durand,  Illinois,  v.  Stephen  H.,  prac- 
tised in  Watsontown,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son. 
Dr.  Grier  Van  Valzah.  2.  Thomas,  of  whom  further.  3.  John  A.,  born 
October  27,  1800,  died  August  26,  1854.  He  married  October  9,  1844, 
Sarah  Boude  Barber,  born  ^larch  6,  18 15,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Elizabeth  (Clingan)  Barber.  Their  daughter,  Jane  Roan  Van  Valzah, 
married  Dr.  Franklin  H.  Van  Valzah,  born  in  Center  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, a  physician  at  Spring  ]\Iills.    John  A.  settled  on  the  old  homestead 


HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY  445 

farm  at  Buffalo  Cross  Roads  and  also  operated  a  grist  mill.  4.  William, 
settled  with  his  brother  on  the  homestead  farm,  married  and  had  four 
sons,  two  of  whom  were  physicians :  Robert  T.,  practising  at  Ashland, 
Schuylkill  county;  the  other,  William,  practising  in  Philadelphia.  5. 
Elizabeth,  married  Peter  Wilson  and  settled  at  Spring  Mills,  Center 
county;  one  of  her  sons,  Robert,  became  a  physician,  settling  in  Clear- 
field county.  6.  Jane,  married  William  Foster,  a  farmer  of  Mifflinburg. 
7.  Margaret,  married  John  Foster  and  lived  at  Mifflinburg.  8.  Mary 
(Polly),  born  January  22,  1791,  died  March  24,  1846;  married,  February 
14,  181 1,  Colonel  Samuel  Barber,  born  in  Buffalo  Valley,  June  21,  1787, 
died  March  2,  1846.  Colonel  Barber  was  colonel  of  the  Forty-third 
Regiment  Pennsylvania  ^Militia,  in  1825;  was  a  splendid  horseman  and 
swordsman,  very  popular  with  the  soldiers.  He  was  an  ardent  Demo- 
crat and  a  member  of  the  first  general  assembly  held  west  of  the  Alle- 
gheny mountains.  Their  son,  Robert  B.,  was  a  lawyer,  appointed  deputy 
attorney  general  in  1839  by  Governor  Porter,  again  appointed  in  1846 
by  Governor  Strunk  and,  in  1852,  aide  with  the  rank  of  colonel  by 
Governor  Bigler. 

(Ill)  Dr.  Thomas  Van  Valzah,  son  of  Dr.  Robert  (2)  and  Eliza- 
beth (Sutherland)  Van  Valzah,  was  born  at  Buffalo  Cross  Roads, 
Union  county,  Pennsylvania,  December  23,  1793.  He  obtained  his 
classical  education  under  the  instruction  of  Rev.  Thomas  Hood,  and 
read  medicine  with  his  father.  During  the  war  of  1812,  although  but 
twenty  years  of  age,  he  enlisted  and  served  as  surgeon.  Later  he 
entered  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  whence  he  was  graduated,  class 
of  1818.  He  began  the  practise  of  his  profession  at  Lewisburg  and 
steadily  advanced  to  a  successful  practise.  In  1837  he  moved  to  Free- 
port,  Illinois,  but  in  1842  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  locating  at  Lewis- 
town,  where  he  was  in  active  practise  until  his  death  April  6,  1870,  hav- 
ing been  an  active  and  successful  practising  physician  fifty-eight 
years. 

Dr.  Van  Valzah  was  by  nature  and  education  well  fitted  for  his  pro- 
fession. He  possessed  a  charm  and  kindliness  of  manner  that  inspired 
his  patient  with  confidence,  and  his  warm  sympathy  was  of  itself  a 
medicine  and  a  restorative.  He  always  heeded  the  call  of  the  poor,  be- 
stowing his  skill  upon  all  alike,  regardless  of  fee.  Aside  from  his  local 
practise,  he  was  often  called  away  for  consultation  in  both  medical  and 


446  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY 

surgical  cases,  being  a  skillful  surgeon  and  an  unquestioned  authority 
in  both  branches  of  his  profession.  He  kept  always  abreast  of  his  times 
and  availed  himself  of  all  progress  made  in  medical  science.  He  was 
a  rapid  and  skillful  surgical  operator,  and  in  1827,  in  connection  with 
Dr.  Dougal,  performed  the  first  Caesarian  operation  ever  performed 
in  this  country.  The  operation  was  performed  in  Northumberland 
county,  and  is  reported  in  the  "American  Journal  of  Medical  Science," 
1835,  page  343.  The  first  high  operation  for  lithotomy  in  America  was 
performed  by  Dr.  Gibson  of  Philadelphia ;  the  second  by  Dr.  Carpenter, 
of  Philadelphia,  and  the  third  by  Dr.  Thomas  Van  Valzah  of  Lewisburg, 
see  Gibson's  "Surgery,"  vol  ii,  page  244,  edition  of  1849,  which  refers 
to  the  successful  operations  of  these  eminent  surgeons.  The  second 
successful  high  operation  in  America  for  lithotomy  was  performed  by 
Dr.  Van  Valzah.  The  doctor  delighted  to  dispense  hospitality,  and  at 
his  home  his  friends  loved  to  congregate  to  receive  a  welcome  and  gen- 
erous entertainment.  He  was  kind,  dignified,  and  considerate  of  the 
rights  and  feelings  of  others.  His  long  white  beard,  bright  eyes  and 
cheerful  countenance,  gave  him  an  attractive  and  patriarchal  appearance. 
He  died  May  6,  1870,  in  his  seventy-seventh  year  of  pleuro-pneumonia, 
contracted  during  a  visit  to  Washington.  His  death  was  much  lamented 
and  during  the  hours  of  his  funeral  all  business  places  in  Lewistown 
were  closed  as  a  public  testimonial  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  one  who 
was  a  valued  citizen,  an  eminent  physician,  a  kind  neighbor  and  a  true 
friend. 

Dr.  Van  Valzah  married,  February  3.  1820,  Harriet,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Mar}'  (Harris)  Howard  (from  whose  family  our  state 
capital  was  named),  of  Union  county,  Pennsylvania;  he  was  a  large 
land  owner,  prosperous  farmer  and  influential  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  Children  of  Dr.  Thomas  Van  Valzah :  i.  Thomas  How- 
ard, became  a  physician,  practising  in  Lewistown,  where  he  died.  2. 
Robert  Harris,  died  in  Freeport,  Illinois,  a  practising  physician.  3. 
Laird,  died  in  1843.  4-  Mary  Elizabeth,  deceased;  married  Andrew  P. 
Jacobs.  5.  John,  died  in  the  Union  army,  while  serving  as  surgeon  of 
an  Illinois  regiment.  6.  Jane  Howard,  married  Ezra  D.  Parker  and 
lived  in  Lewistown ;  she  is  now  deceased.  7.  Harriet  Rebecca,  died  in 
infancy.     8.  David  D.,  of  whom  further. 

(IV)    Colonel  David   Dougall  Van  Valzah,   youngest   son  of  Dr. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  447 

Thomas  and  Harriet  (Howard)  Van  Valzah,  was  born  near  Freeport, 
Illinois,  January  5,  1840.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  school  and 
Lewistown  Academy,  entering  business  life  as  clerk  in  a  drug  store, 
continuing  about  four  years. 

On  May  14,  1861,  he  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant  of  the 
Twelfth  Regiment  of  United  States  Infantry.  He  served  with  his  regi- 
ment in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  during  the  entire  period  of  the  civil 
war,  and  was  engaged  at  Antietam,  Fredericksburg,  Gettysburg,  first  and 
second  battles  of  the  Wilderness,  Cedar  Mountain,  and  many  other  bat- 
tles. At  the  second  battle  of  the  \Vilderness  he  was  captured,  and  from 
May  until  November  was  held  a  prisoner  in  the  southern  prisons  at 
Lynchburg,  Macon,  Charleston  and  Columbia.  On  August  i,  1864, 
he  was  brevetted  captain  for  gallant  service  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilder- 
ness, during  the  campaign  before  Richmond,  Virginia;  was  commis- 
sioned captain  of  Twelfth  Infantry,  August  10,  1864,  and  September  21, 
1866,  was  transferred  to  the  Thirtieth  Infantry.  After  the  civil  war 
he  was  on  reconstruction  duty  in  Spottsylvania,  Caroline  and  King 
George  counties,  in  the  south,  until  1869,  then  saw  hard  service  on  the 
frontier  in  Texas,  Montana,  Wyoming,  Nebraska,  South  Dakota,  Ari- 
zona, and  New  Mexico. 

In  January,  1871,  he  was  assigned  to  the  Twenty-fifth  Infantry,  and 
October  19,  1886,  was  commissioned  major  and  assigned  to  the  Twen- 
tieth Infantry.  On  October  14,  1891.  he  was  commissioned  lieutenant- 
colonel  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Infantry,  and  May  2^,  1896,  colonel  of  the 
Eighteenth  Infantry.  He  served  in  the  Philippines  during  the  Spanish- 
American  war,  his  being  one  of  the  first  regiments  to  land,  July  31.  1898. 
and  taking  part  in  the  battle  of  Manila,  later  was  engaged  at  Illio.  Col- 
onel Van  Valzah  was  retired  June  20,  1899,  after  over  thirty  years  in 
his  country's  service.  He  was  reported  as  dead  at  the  time  of  his  cap- 
ture and  imprisonment  in  the  south,  obituary  notices  were  printed,  and 
his  friends  all  mourned  him  as  one  forever  gone.  He  passed  through  all 
the  perils  of  war  unscathed,  save  for  a  slight  wound  in  the  thumb,  re- 
ceived at  Gettysburg. 

Colonel  Van  Valzah  was  married,  January  7,  1874,  to  Ellen  J. 
Murphy,  born  in  Texas,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Sarah  (Henfey)  Mur- 
phy. The  family  residence  is  at  Third  and  Brown  streets,  Lewistown, 
Pennsylvania. 


448  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY 

The  Nolte  family  of  Lewistown  descends  from  John  Miller 
NOLTE  and  Mary  Christine  (Weiderecht)  Nolte,  both  born  in 
Germany,  he  in  1835,  she  in  1846.  John  Miller  Nolte  came 
to  the  United  States  when  a  lad  of  thirteen  years  and  located  in  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  where  he  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade.  After  the  civil 
war,  and  his  marriage,  he  located  in  Lewistown,  where  he  engaged  in 
manufacturing  shoes,  and  also  maintained  a  store  for  the  retail  market- 
ing of  his  own  product.  After  several  years  in  the  shoe  business  he 
disposed  of  his  interests  and  opened  a  restaurant  at  No.  32  North  Mar- 
ket street  on  the  site  of  the  present  Crystal  Cafe.  He  continued  in 
successful  business  until  his  death  in  1892.  He  was  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  and  held  in  such  high  regard  by  his  community  that  he  was 
elected  to  important  public  offices.  He  was  treasurer  of  Mifflin  county, 
chief  burgess  of  Lewistown,  member  of  the  borough  council  and  school 
director,  and  filled  each  office  with  honor,  never  betraying  the  interests 
of  those  who  trusted  him  with  the  conduct  of  public  affairs.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Logan  Guards,  and  during  the  civil  war  enlisted  and  was 
captain  of  Company  A,  Forty-sixth  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteer 
Infantry,  serving  until  the  close  of  the  war,  participating  with  his  regi- 
ment in  forty-nine  battles,  but  escaped  serious  injury.  He  was  an  active 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday  school,  love 
of  children  being  one  of  his  ruling  traits.  He  w'as  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  the  Knights  of  Pythias;  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle,  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
and  the  Union  Veteran  Legion.  After  his  death  the  name  of  his  Post 
was  changed  to  the  Captain  Nolte  Commandery.  He  was  active  in  all 
these  orders  and  societies,  and  held  in  highest  esteem  everywhere. 

Captain  Nolte  married,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Mary  Christine  Weide- 
recht, who  was  born  in  Germany  in  1846  and  brought  to  the  United 
States  when  a  child  of  two  years,  her  parents  settling  in  Cincinnati. 
After  her  marriage  she  came  to  Lewistown,  where  she  now  resides. 
Children:  i.  Annie  Mary  Elizabeth,  resides  in  Lewistown,  unmarried. 
2.  George  Edward  Elias,  resides  in  Lewistown,  unmarried.  3.  Harry 
Sebastian,  a  practising  physician  of  Reed  City,  Michigan;  married  Grace 
Thrush.  4.  Louis  Elmer,  resides  in  Braddock,  Pennsylvania,  unmarried ; 
an  employee  of  the  Union  Switch  and  Signal  Company.  5.  John  Centen- 
nial, of  whom  further. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  449 

(II)  John  Centennial,  youngest  son  of  Captain  John  Miller  and  Mary- 
Christine  ( VVeiderecht )  Nolte,  was  born  in  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania, 
June  20.  1876,  and  was  named  in  honor  of  the  one  hundredth  anniversary 
of  our  nation's  declaration  of  freedom.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
school  and.  until  he  was  of  legal  age,  assisted  his  mother  in  the  operation 
of  the  restaurant,  which  she  continued  after  her  husband's  death,  her 
son  acting  as  manager  from  the  time  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  He 
then  acquired  a  knowledge  of  photography  and  later  bought  out  a 
studio  on  the  public  square,  Lewistown,  of  which  he  is  yet  proprietor, 
also  maintaining  a  department  for  the  sale  of  photographic  supplies, 
kodaks,  etc.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  never  an  aspirant  for 
public  office.  He  belongs  to  the  Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America,  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Patriotic  Order  of  America, 
and  the  Loyal  Association.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church. 

He  married,  November  22,  1900,  Hannah  Mary  Burkett,  born  in 
Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Elizabeth  Bur- 
kett, an  old  family  of  Franklin  and  Mifflin  counties.  Children:  Mary 
Elizabeth,  John  Frederick  and  Robert  Arthur. 


This  name  was  originally  spelled   Mutthers- 
MUTHERSBAUGH     baugh,  and  the  first  settlement  of  the  family 

in  Mifflin  county.  Pennsylvania,  was  in  Derry 
township,  where  John  and  Catherine  (Mulholland)  Muthersbaugh  were 
early  settlers.  They  came  to  Derry  from  Morrisons  Cove,  on  Spruce 
creek,  and  lived  on  a  fine  farm  which  he  owned.  John  Muthersbaugh 
followed  farming  all  his  active  years,  but  spent  his  latter  days  in  Decatur 
township  with  his  son,  Abraham  Muthersbaugh.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  German  Baptist  church.  Children:  Samuel,  born  March  6,  1798, 
died  in  Ohio;  John,  born  May  22,  1800,  died  in  Virginia;  Susan,  born 
December  28,  1802,  married  John  James;  Jacob,  born  April  14,  18 — , 
lived  and  died  in  Lewistown;  David,  born  November  i,  18 — ,  died  in 
Derry  township,  Mifflin  county;  Abraham,  of  whom  further;  Elizabeth, 
born  April  30.  1808,  married  John  Irvin  and  died  in  Huntingdon  county, 
Pennsylvania;  Daniel,  born  March  18,  1810,  died  in  Center  county, 
Pennsylvania. 

(II)  Abraham,  son  of  John  and  Catherine  (Mulholland)  Muthers- 


450  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

baugh,  was  born  in  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  22,  1806, 
died  in  Decatur  township,  Mifflin  county,  June  15,  1867.  In  his  youth 
he  was  a  famed  wood-chopper,  later  a  worker  at  the  iron  furnaces  of  his 
locality.  After  his  marriage,  in  1843,  he  bought  a  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred acres  in  Decatur  township,  in  partnership  with  his  brother  David. 
Later  the  brothers  divided  the  tract  and  to  his  half,  Abraham  later  added 
two  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  by  purchase.  He  prospered  and  spent  his 
entire  later  life  in  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  his  own  acres.  He 
was  the  "peacemaker"  of  the  township,  and  both  well  known  and  in- 
fluential. He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  until  the  election  of  James  K. 
Polk  to  the  presidency,  then  went  over  to  the  Whigs.  He  never  accepted 
public  office,  but  lived  a  private,  quiet  life,  taking  little  part  in  township 
affairs,  excepting  to  settle  differences  and  to  promote  good  feeling  among 
his  neighbors.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  active  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church.  He  married,  February  28,  1843,  Jemima  Sigler, 
born  in  Mifflin  county,  August  17,  1812,  died  October  24,  1905,  at  the 
great  age  of  ninety-three  years.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Adam,  and  a 
descendant  of  John  Sigler  of  German  parentage,  who  came  from  Xew 
Jersey  in  colonial  days.  His  son,  George  Sigler,  was  the  father  of 
George  (2)  Sigler,  who  was  carried  away  by  the  Indians  and  held  cap- 
tive for  a  year.  Adam  was  the  third  son  of  George  (i)  Sigler,  and 
elder  brother  of  the  captured  lad.  Adam  Sigler  was  born  June  4,  1769, 
died  June  30,  1846.  He  married  Jemima  Van  Horn,  born  April  2, 
1775,  died  August  24,  1854,  daughter  of  Dan  Van  Horn,  of  Brooklyn, 
New  York,  a  descendant  of  the  Dutch  family  of  \^an  Hooren,  early 
settlers  of  Manhattan  Island,  Long  Island,  and  New  Jersey.  After  mar- 
riage Adam  settled  in  Decatur  township  along  ]\Ieadow  Run,  a  small 
stream  then  abounding  with  fish.  He  erected  a  log  house,  which  he 
many  times  remodeled  and  enlarged,  to  accommodate  his  large  family 
of  thirteen  sons  and  daughters.  He  became  the  owner  of  over  six  hun- 
dred acres  of  land,  much  of  which  he  cleared.  He  was  a  very  large 
man,  a  great  hunter  and  fisherman,  and  at  his  death  owned  perhaps  the 
best  farm  and  largest  house  in  the  township.  The  sons  aided  their  father 
in  clearing  and  improving  the  farm,  while  the  daughters  spun  and  wove 
the  flax  and  wool  from  which  later  they  made  the  family  clothing. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Chil- 
dren of  Abraham  and  Jemima  (Sigler)  Muthersbaugh :     i.  John.son.  of 


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HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  451 

whom  further.  2.  James  Knox,  born  August  29,  1845,  now  deceased, 
a  farmer  of  Granville  township;  married  Mary  M.  Gallagher.  3.  Annie 
Catherine,  now  residing  on  Valley  street,  Lewistown,  unmarried.  4. 
Isabella  M.,  a  teacher,  residing  with  her  sister  Annie,  unmarried.  5. 
Howard,  deceased,  married  Alice  Alexander,  who  resides  in  Decatur, 
Illinois.  6.  Ellen,  married  Thomas  Brennan,  he  is  now  deceased:  she 
resides  in  Lewistown.  7.  Emma,  married  William  H.  Mendenhall  and 
resides  in  Avalon,  Pennsylvania. 

(Ill)  Johnson,  eldest  son  of  Abraham  and  Jemima  fSigler)  Muth- 
ersbaugh,  was  born  in  Decatur  township,  Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania, 
December  7,  1844.  He  attended  the  public  school  and  until  August  30, 
1864,  was  employed  at  the  home  farm.  On  that  date  he  enlisted  in 
Company  K.  Two  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  under  Captain  F.  B.  McClenahan,  served  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  received  honorable  discharge  June  2,  1865.  He  was  engaged 
in  the  battles  of  Petersburg,  and  in  several  skirmishes,  doing  faithful 
service  in  the  closing  year  of  the  war  betv/een  the  states.  After  the 
war  he  attended  Freeburg  academy  in  Snyder  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  for  two  terms  he  was  under  the  instruction  of  Rev.  \V.  L.  Wil- 
son and  Professor  Van  Dyke.  The  following  year  he  taught  at  German- 
ville,  Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania,  then  spent  two  years  at  the  home 
farm.  In  1868  he  married  and  spent  the  following  year  at  the  farm  of 
his  father-in-law,  engaged  in  its  cultivation.  In  the  spring  of  1872 
he  entered  the  employ  of  Dickson  and  McGovern  on  the  Lewistown  divi- 
sion of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  moving  to  Lewistown  and  continuing 
with  the  Pennsylvania  two  years.  He  then  began  working  at  the  car- 
penter's trade,  working  one  season  with  William  Smith,  and  with  Daniel 
C.  Matters  four  years.  In  1877  he  began  contracting  and  became  a 
well  known,  reliable  and  prosperous  contractor  and  builder,  continuing 
most  successfully  until  1908.  when  he  retired.  He  built  up,  with  the 
dwellings  he  erected,  a  reputation  for  honorable  dealing  and  good  work- 
manship that  brought  him  a  great  deal  of  unsolicited  patronage.  He 
kept  many  men  employed  and  ran,  to  its  full  capacity,  a  shop  equipped 
with  modern  planing  mill  machinery.  This  he  still  owns  and  occasionally 
runs  for  a  day  or  two,  more  in  memory  for  his  old-time  busy  days,  than 
for  profit.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  independent  in  local  elec- 
tions.    From  1908  to  191 2  he  served  as  borough  councilman  and  has 


452  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

always  taken  an  active  part  in  borough  politics.  He  is  a  member  of 
Lewistown  Lodge,  No.  270,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  of  Colonel  Huling's 
Post,  No.  176,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

The  family  residence  is  at  No.  122  Chestnut  street,  but  Mr.  Muthers- 
baugh  takes  frequent  vacation  trips  to  California,  Florida  and  Canada, 
and  in  other  ways  enjoys  the  fruits  of  his  long  life  of  industry. 

He  married  (first)  Amelia  Fees,  who  died  May  10,  1899,  daughter 
of  Zeno  and  Lavina  (Gift)  Fees,  granddaughter  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth 
Fees,  and  maternal  granddaughter  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  Gift.  He 
married  (second)  August  6,  1903,  Margaret  ]\Iiller,  born  in  Mifflin 
county,  daughter  of  Mrs.  I\Iary  Miller,  of  Mechanicsburg.  The  only 
child  of  his  first  marriage  was  Verna  F.,  born  December  25,  1872, 
died  September  22.  1909;  she  married  William  M.  Lind  and  left  no 
issue. 


There  is  much  in  the  German  character  to  admire,  but 
SHERMAN  one  trait  that  most  impresses  Americans  is  their  un- 
tiring industry  and  thriftiness.  As  settlers  in  a  new 
land  they  faced  discouragement  with  a  fortitude  amazing;  and  while 
acquiring  American  citizenship  also  placed  to  their  credit  a  good  share 
of  American  dollars.  Another  trait,  and  one  unlooked  for  from  a  race 
that  has  suffered  much  from  the  ravages  of  war,  is  the  promptness  with 
which  they  have  rallied  to  the  defense  of  their  adopted  country's  flag 
whenever  men  were  needed.  The  career  of  Henry  Sherman,  of  Lewis- 
town,  illustrates  both  the  above-mentioned  traits,  and  can  be  duplicated 
in  the  lives  of  thousands  of  our  German-Americans,  who  are  among  the 
best  of  our  citizens. 

Henry  Sherman  was  born  in  Hesse,  Darmstadt,  near  Lauderbaugh, 
Germany.  July  27,  1834,  son  of  Conrad  and  Margaret  (Graflf)  Sher- 
man. His  father,  a  German  farmer  and  land  owner,  died  in  1858  aged 
fifty-six  years.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  Lutherans  in  religion  as 
were  their  children.  Henry  was  the  eldest  son  of  a  family  of  nine,  as 
follows:  I.  Died  in  infancy.  2.  Anne  Mary,  died  in  Germany.  3. 
Henry,  of  whom  further.  4.  Gertrude,  married  John  Klein,  came  to 
the  Lnited  States  and  died  in  Lewistown.  3.  Anna  Barbara,  married 
Henry  Daupman,  now  living  in  Lewistown.  6.  John,  now  residing  in 
Huntingdon  county.  Pennsylvania,  a  cooper.     7.  Margaret,  died  in  in- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  453 

fancy.     8.   Conrad,  in  Newburg,  Pennsylvania.     9.   Christian,  died  in 
Lewistown,  aged  twenty-one  years. 

Henry  Sherman  was  well  educated  in  German  schools  and  spent 
his  early  life  at  the  home  farm,  continuing  until  1857,  when  he  came 
to  the  United  States,  settling  at  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania.  There  he 
learned  the  cooper's  trade,  working  thereat  until  the  outbreak  of  the 
civil  war.  He  enlisted  in  August,  1862,  for  a  term  of  nine  months  in 
Company  K,  131st  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
saw  hard  service  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  fighting  at  Antie- 
tam,  Fredericksburg  and  Chancellorsville  and  on  the  Peninsula.  After 
his  term  expired  he  reenlisted  in  Company  F,  205th  Regiment,  Penn- 
sylvania Volunteer  Infantry  as  corporal,  serving  until  honorably  dis- 
charged at  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  engaged  in  several  hard  cam- 
paigns and  battles  during  his  second  term  of  service,  including  Fort 
Stedman,  Hatcher's  Run  and  Petersburg,  and  witnessed  the  surrender  at 
Appomattox.  He  was  never  wounded,  although  he  had  his  cap  shot  ofif 
at  Fredericksburg.  After  the  war  he  returned  to  Lewistown  and  again 
worked  at  the  cooper's  trade  for  several  years.  He  then  engaged  in 
farming,  first  near  McVeytown,  later  near  Rock's  Mills.  He  prospered 
and  continued  at  farming  several  years.  He  then  was  in  the  employ  of 
the  Pennsylvania  railroad  until  1904,  when  he  was  retired  and  now  re- 
sides at  No.  123  North  Grand  street,  Lewistown,  engaged  only  in  the 
care  of  his  several  properties.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  local  lodge. 
Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle,  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  both  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  is  highly  respected 
in  his  town  and  fully  deserves  the  high  opinion  of  his  neighbors.  He 
married,  June  7.  1857,  Anna  Mary  GrofT,  born  in  Germany,  died  Janu- 
ary 7,  1905.  Children:  i.  Louisa,  married  John  Price  and  resides  on 
Third  street,  Lewistown;  two  children:  Frank,  deceased;  and  Verna.  2. 
Henry,  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  with  store  at  corner  of  Market 
and  Grand  streets,  Lewistown;  married  Cora  Rook;  no  children.  3. 
Sebastian,  is  a  blacksmith  in  the  employ  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad 
and  resides  on  Third  street,  Lewistown;  married  Annie  Eby;  two  chil- 
dren :  Elsie  and  Catherine.  4.  Katherine,  married  a  Mr.  Barnes  and 
resides  in  San  Francisco;  child,  Sherman.  5.  Maud,  married  Frank 
K.  Tierce,  an  attorney,  and  resides  in  San  Francisco;  no  children.  6. 
Mary  M.,  twin  with  Maud,  married  David  Wollner  and  resides  in  Lewis- 


454  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

town;  no  children.  7.  William,  a  machinist,  resides  in  Lewistown;  mar- 
ried (first)  Bessie  Saxton,  who  died  in  1901  leaving  two  children: 
Frank  and  Mary  M.  He  married  (second)  Leida  Freid,  by  whom  he 
had  four  children:  William,  Paul,  Maud  and  Edward.  The  mother 
of  these  children  died  in  1912.  8.  Henrietta,  married  Alvin  King  and 
resides  on  Grand  street,  Lewistown ;  children :  Anna,  Verna,  Ralph,  Hen- 
rietta, Rov,  Carl  and  Maud. 


The  Saxtons  of  Lewistown  are  of  English  ancestry,  and 
SAXTON  the  Pennsylvania  home  of  this  family  in  early  days  was 
in  Cumberland  county.  One  branch  settled  in  Silver 
Springs  township,  where  they  were  farmers,  and  there  descendants  are 
yet  found.  The  earliest  record  found  of  this  branch  is  of  Leonard 
Saxton,  born  in  Pennsylvania  about  1745.  He  spent  most  of  his  life 
as  a  farmer  of  Cumberland  county,  but  lived  his  last  years  with  his 
son  in  Mifflin  county.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812,  a  Democrat 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
His  wife  died  while  yet  a  young  woman.  Children:  i.  Mary,  married 
Abraham  Freed,  lived  many  years  at  McVeytown,  and  died  in  Lewis- 
burg.  Pennsylvania.  2.  Jane,  married  and  died  quite  young.  3.  William, 
lived  and  died  in  Lewistown,  a  teamster.  4.  John,  of  whom  further 
following. 

(II)  John,  son  of  Leonard  Saxton,  was  born  in  Cumberland  county, 
Pennsvlvania,  died  in  Lewistown  about  1899.  His  mother  died  when 
he  was  a  small  boy  and  soon  afterward  he  was  bound  out  to  a  Cumber- 
land county  farmer  with  whom  he  lived  until  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years.  He  then  came  to  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  later  moving  to 
Huntingdon,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  married  and  lived  two  years.  He 
then  moved  to  what  is  now  West  Virginia,  there  engaging  in  farming 
until  about  1854,  when  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  again  settling  in 
Huntingdon.  He  remained  there  until  1858,  then  came  again  to  Lewis- 
town,  his  home  until  death.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the  civil  war,  enlisting 
in  1862  in  Company  E,  137th  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, serving  nine  months.  He  then  reenlisted  for  a  term  of  three 
years  "or  during  the  war"  in  Company  H,  49th  Pennsylvania  Volunteer 
Infantry,  receiving  an  honorable  discharge  at  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
was  engaged  in  manv  of  the  historic  battles  fought  by  the  Army  of  the 


HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  455 

Potomac,  including  Antietam,  South  Mountain,  Fredericksburg,  Spott- 
sylvania  Court  House  and  many  others.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  RepubHc,  and  his  wife  was  a  communicant  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  He  married  Mary  White,  born  in  Huntingdon  county, 
Pennsylvania,  who  like  himself  was  early  bereft  of  a  mother's  care  and 
reared  among  strangers.  Soon  after  her  mother's  death,  her  father, 
an  old  settler  of  Huntingdon  county  in  the  Mill  Creek  district,  was  acci- 
dentally shot  while  hunting.  She  had  a  sister  Susan,  who  married  Solo- 
mon Chatham,  and  a  brother  John,  killed  at  the  battle  of  Pittsburg 
Landing  (Corinth)  during  the  civil  war,  unmarried.  Children  of  John 
and  Mary  Saxton :  Leonard  Mitchell,  of  whom  further ;  William,  died 
in  Huron,  South  Dakota,  a  locomotive  engineer;  John,  died  in  1863,  from 
the  effects  of  a  thrown  stone  which  struck  him  on  the  head ;  Abraham, 
died  in  childhood ;"  Nancy  Ellen,  married  Charles  Baldwin  and  now  re- 
sides in  Altoona,  Pennsylvania ;  Elmer,  died  in  childhood ;  Mary,  mar- 
ried John  Chatham  and  resides  in  Altoona ;  Susan,  married  Daniel  Ford 
and  resides  in  Florida;  Lucy,  died  in  childhood;  Bessie,  deceased,  mar- 
ried William  Sherman;  Charles,  died  in  childhood. 

(Ill)  Leonard  Mitchell,  eldest  child  of  John  and  Mary  (White) 
Saxton,  was  born  in  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  October  12, 
1850.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  in  1864  began  working  as  a 
team  driver  on  the  Juniata  canal,  an  employment  that  always  had  an 
attraction  for  farmer  boys  along  the  route  of  the  old  time  canals.  He 
rose  from  driver  to  captain  and  continued  on  the  canal  until  1889.  then 
being  captain  of  his  own  boat  and  owning  several  others.  The  great 
flood  of  that  year  caused  him  some  loss  and  he  decided  to  engage  in  some 
other  business.  He  sold  his  boats  to  the  Pennsylvania  Canal  Company, 
invested  in  teams  and  wagons  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  a  general 
teaming  business  in  Lewistown.  He  has  served  as  constable  for  twenty 
years,  and  four  years  of  that  period  as  borough  policeman.  He  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics;  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, (lodge  and  encampment)  Knights  of  Malta  and  the  Royal  Ar- 
canum and  a  member  of  Lewistown  Board  of  Trade.  For  thirty-seven 
years  he  has  been  a  member  of  Henderson  Fire  Company,  the  oldest 
fire  company  in  Lewistown.  From  1890  to  1894  Mr.  Saxton  was  a 
private  of  Company  G,  Fifth  Regiment  Pennsylvania  National  Guard, 
under  Captains  Rufus  C.  Elder  and  L.   M.   Slogle.     During  the  steel 


456  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

workers'  strike  at  Homestead  he  was  on  duty  with  his  compan}-  ,for 
thirty  days. 

He  married,  January  9,  1873,  Anna  Barbara  McCullough,  born  in 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Barbara  Mc- 
Cullough, both  old  residents  of  Lancaster  county,  he  an  iron  manufac- 
turer and  a  soldier  during  the  civil  war.  Henry  and  Barbara  McCul- 
lough moved  to  Lewistown  for  a  time,  but  soon  returned  to  Lancaster 
county,  where  they  died.  Children  of  Leonard  Mitchell  and  Anna 
Barbara  (McCullough)  Saxton:  i.  Mary  Barbara,  died  aged  two  years. 
2.  John  Henry,  now  a  printer  employed  in  the  offices  of  the  Lewistown 
Gazette.  He  married  Emma  Satcher  and  has  children :  John  Leonard, 
George  Robert,  Harry  Donald  and  James.  3.  Charles  Frankhn,  resides 
in  Lewistown;  married  Effie  Adair  and  has  children;  Anna  C.  Bertha 
Elizabeth,  Sarah  and  Frank.  4.  Sarah  Ellen,  now  a' stenographer  with 
the  Thompson  Brothers'  Knitting  Mills  Company,  at  Milroy.  5.  Anna 
Bertha,  married  Edgar  Custer  and  lives  at  Sunbury,  Pennsylvania ;  child, 
Benjamin  Saxton.     6.   An  infant  son  died  unnamed. 


Among  the  many  sturdy  excellent  German  families 
WISEHAUPT     that  came  to   Pennsylvania  in  the  early  days  was 

that  of  Wisehaupt.  The  ancestor,  Valentine,  born 
in  Germany,  settled  in  the  Juniata  Valley  and  became  a  large  land  owner 
and  prosperous  farmer  of  Juniata  county.  He  married  and  left  male 
issue  including  a  son  John. 

(II)  John,  son  of  Valentine  Wisehaupt,  was  born  in  Juniata  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  grew  to  manhood  at  the  old  homestead  which  he 
helped  to  clear  and  improve.  Later  he  inherited  a  part  of  the  home 
farm  from  his  father,  which  he  further  improved  by  the  erection  of  the 
good  farm  dwelling  that  is  yet  standing.  He  and  his  wife,  Susan  Hench, 
were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children:  i.  Valentine,  died  aged  twenty  years.  2.  Leonard,  died  in 
the  west  aged  sixty  years.  3.  Sarah,  married  William  Stewart,  both 
deceased.  4.  John,  of  whom  further.  5.  Jacob,  yet  residing  on  the  old 
homestead.  6.  Caroline,  married  Wilson  Robinson,  both  deceased ;  their 
son  Kenney  now  owns  and  cultivates  that  part  of  the  old  homestead 
known  as  the  "North  Farm."  7-8.  Two  other  children  died  in  child- 
hood. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  457 

(HI)  John  (2),  son  of  John  (i)  and  Susan  (Hench)  Wisehaupt, 
was  born  in  Juniata  county,  Pennsylvania,  February  16,  1834.  He  at- 
tended the  public  school  and  inherited  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  acres 
of  the  original  Wisehaupt  tract  in  Juniata  county,  to  which  he  moved 
after  his  marriage.  He  further  improved  his  farm  by  the  erection  of 
new  buildings  and  there  lived  and  prospered.  In  later  years  he  retired 
and  now  lives  at  Port  Royal.  He  is  a  Democrat,  has  always  taken  an 
interest  in  public  afifairs  and  held  several  township  offices.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

He  married  Mary  Rice,  born  in  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
November,  1838,  died  November  21,  191 1,  daughter  of  Conrad  Rice,  a 
farmer  of  Perry  county.  She  was  one  of  a  family  of  eight:  Johnson: 
Mary,  who  married  John  Wisehaupt;  William,  Lizzie,  Sarah  and  Susan, 
all  deceased ;  James,  now  living  retired  at  Port  Royal,  Pennsylvania,  and 
Kate,  married  George  I.  Rice  and  lives  in  Perry  county.  Children  of 
John  and  Mary  (Rice)  Wisehaupt:  i.  Sarah,  married  George  P.  Mc- 
Connell,  a  farmer,  and  resides  at  Port  Royal.  2.  George  B.  M..  of  whom 
further.  3.  David,  died  aged  seven  years.  4.  Laura,  married  H.  G. 
Frazer,  a  grain,  coal  and  lumber  merchant  of  Port  Royal.  5.  Anna, 
married  C.  C.  Book,  a  farmer  and  school  teacher,  now  residing  at  Port 
Royal. 

(IV)  George  B.  M.,  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Rice)  Wisehaupt,  was 
born  in  Juniata  county,  Pennsylvania,  January  22,  1864.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  and  at  Port  Royal  Academy,  which  he  at- 
tended five  years.  After  leaving  school  he  worked  with  his  father  one 
year  on  the  farm,  then  for  two  years  engaged  in  the  butcher  business. 
He  then  established  in  the  grain,  coal  and  lumber  business  at  Port 
Royal,  which  he  successfully  conducted  until  1903,  when  he  sold  a  one- 
half  interest  to  his  brother-in-law,  H.  G.  Frazer,  the  firm  now  being 
Wisehaupt  and  Frazer. 

Leaving  Mr.  Frazer  in  charge  of  the  Port  Royal  business,  Air. 
Wisehaupt  located  in  Lewistown  in  1903  and  became  vice-president  of 
the  Heverly  Manufacturing,  Storage  &  Supply  Company,  so  continuing 
until  1909,  when  the  company  was  re-organized  as  the  Lewistown  Ice  & 
Storage  Company,  with  George  B.  M.  Wisehaupt  as  president  and  man- 
ager, S.  P.  Weber,  vice-president,  and  J.  A.  Muthersbaugh,  secretary  and 
treasurer.     The  company  does  a  large  business,  manufactures  six  thou- 


458  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

sand  tons  of  ice  annually,  has  a  floor  storage  space  of  one  hundred  and 
eleven  thousand  cubic  feet,  employs  twelve  men  and  ships  ice  to  the 
nearby  towns,  as  well  as  supplying  the  home  market.  Mr.  Wisehaupt 
is  also  president  of  the  Lewistown  Market  House  Company,  director 
of  the  Lewistown  Trust  Company  and  director  and  general  manager 
of  the  Sunbury  Ice  &  Storage  Company,  of  Sunbury,  Pennsylvania.  He 
is  an  active,  capable  man  of  affairs  and  wisely  manages  the  companies  of 
which  he  is  in  charge.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  in  1902  repre- 
sented his  district  in  the  Pennsylvania  house  of  assembly  wisely  and 
well. 

He  is  a  member  of  Mifflintown  Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He 
married  in  August,  1888,  Margaret  Snyder,  born  in  Juniata  county, 
daughter  of  George  Snyder  of  an  old  county  family.  Children:  i. 
David  Franklin,  now  connected  with  the  Sunbury  Ice  &  Storage  Com- 
pany and  resides  in  Sunbury,  married  Mary  Boyer.  2.  Charlotte,  mar- 
ried Russell  Pugh,  resides  in  Mansfield,  Ohio,  and  has  one  child,  Mar- 
garet Elizabeth.  3.  John  S.  4.  Mary  Jane.  5.  Gertrude.  6.  Margaret. 
7.  Pauline.     8.  Luther.     9.  Lillian.     10.  Darwin. 


The  early  records  of  Franklin  county  reveal  no  trace  of 
BURKETT     the   antecedents   of    Michael   Burkett,    grandfather   of 

Harvey  C.  Burkett,  of  Lewistown,  Pennsylvaniia.  The 
records  of  Manheim  township,  York  county,  show  a  Peter  Burgart, 
born  1766,  whose  descendants  settled  at  Sinking  Springs,  Blair  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  spell  their  name  Burket.  No  connection  is  shown 
between  the  families,  therefore  Michael  Burkett,  of  German  descent, 
may  be  considered  the  ancestor  of  this  branch. 

(I)  Michael  Burkett  was  born  August  23,  1790,  died  z\ugust  19, 
1865.  and  is  buried  in  Snow  Hill  cemetery,  Ouincy  township,  Franklin 
county,  Pennsylvania.  His  brother.  Rev.  Ephraim  Burkett,  was  a 
minister  of  the  German  Baptist  church  (Dunkard).  Michael  married' 
Mary  Cole,  born  in  Franklin  county.  May  8,  1799,  died  at  the  T^Iethodist 
parsonage  at  Middletown,  Illinois,  April  9,  1870,  and  is  buried  in  Spring 
Brook  cemetery  in  Logan  county,  Illinois.  Children:  i.  Katherine, 
born  November  2,  1827,  married  John  Withers,  whom  she  survives,  a 
resident  of  Graffensburg,  Pennsylvania.     2.   Joseph,  born  August  30, 


HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY  459 

1830,  died  February  5,  1872.  He  enlisted  and  served  thirteen  years  in 
the  United  States  regular  army,  the  last  three  years  being  engaged  in 
the  war  between  the  states.  He  married  at  Memphis,  Tennessee,  and 
left  two  children.  3.  David  C,  born  July  4,  1834,  died  in  191 1  at  Tus- 
cola, Illinois.  He  was  an  exhorter  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
later  was  ordained  a  minister  of  that  church  and  located  in  Illinois.  He 
was  an  itinerant  minister  in  active  work  until  1900,  when  he  was  placed 
upon  the  superannuated  list  according  to  the  rules  of  his  church.  He 
married  (first)  Ellen  Everly,  who  bore  him  four  children;  he  married 
(second)  Susan  Baxter.  4  Frederick  Cole,  of  whom  further.  5.  Mary, 
born  September  30,  1845,  married  William  Palmer,  now  deceased;  she  is 
residing  at  Springville,  Illinois.  6.  Michael  I.,  born  June  29,  1846,  mar- 
ried ]Mary  Ann  Long  and  is  now  a  farmer,  making  his  home  in  the 
state  of  Iowa. 

(II)  Frederick  Cole,  son  of  Michael  and  Mary  (Cole)  Burkett,  was 
born  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  May,  1837.  His  wife  was 
born  in  the  same  county,  a  few  years  later.  They  married  and  lived 
there  until  about  1872,  when  they  moved  to  Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania, 
settling  in  Lewistown.  He  was  a  miller  by  trade  and  followed  that 
occupation  in  both  counties  until  about  1902,  then  began  contracting 
in  the  hammer  shop  of  the  Standard  Steel  Company  (axle  department) 
and  there  continuing  until  1909,  when  he  retired  from  all  active  labor. 
He  is  a  veteran  of  the  civil  war,  having  served  in  Company  E,  158th 
Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  enlisted  October  16, 
1862,  and  served  until  August  12,  1863,  under  Colonel  D.  B.  McKibben. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  the  Knights  of 
the  Golden  Eagle,  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  married  Eliza  Jane  Walk,  who 
died  March  10,  1902.  She  was  the  daughter  of  a  well-to-do  miller  of 
Franklin  county,  who  also  kept  a  line  of  freight  teams  running  be- 
tween Franklin  county  points  and  Baltimore.  Both  he  and  his  wife  died 
in  Franklin  county.  Children  of  Frederick  C.  Burkett:  i.  Harry,  died 
in  childhood.  2.  Charles,  now  proprietor  of  a  tonsorial  parlor  at  Yeager- 
town.  Pennsylvania.  3.  Anna  M.,  married  Howard  Orth  and  lives  in 
Lewistown,  Pennsylvania.  4.  Harvey  Clinton,  of  whom  further.  5.  An 
infant,  died  unnamed.  6.  Hannah  Mary,  married  John  C.  Nolte,  a 
photographer.     7.  An  infant,  died  unnamed. 


46o  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

(III)  Harvey  Clinton,  son  of  Frederick  Cole  and  Eliza  Jane  (Walk) 
Burkett,  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  November  19,  1870. 
He  attended  the  public  school  of  Lewistown  and  Yeagertown  and  from 
the  age  of  thirteen  to  sixteen  worked  in  his  brother's  shop  in  Yeager- 
town. He  then  became  clerk  in  the  Logan  Company's  store  at  Burnham 
(store  No.  i )  continuing  two  and  a  half  years,  when  he  was  transferred 
to  their  store  No.  2  at  Greenwood  Furnace,  remaining  there  two  and 
a  half  years.  For  one  year  he  was  clerk  in  a  Yeagertown  bakery  and 
later  was  mailing  clerk  for  six  years  in  the  L-nited  States  postottice  at 
Lewistown.  In  1902  he  was  elected  register-recorder  and  clerk  of  the 
orphan's  court  of  Mifflin  county;  was  twice  reelected,  serving  in  all  ten 
years,  giving  the  county  most  efficient  service.  In  19 12,  after  retiring 
from  office,  he  opened  an  office  in  the  Masonic  Temple,  Lewistown, 
where  he  is  conducting  a  successful  local  real  estate  business.  He  has 
been  secretary  of  the  Lewistown  board  of  trade  since  its  organization 
in  1908;  is  president  of  the  Lewistown  Standard  Building  &  Loan  Asso- 
ciation since  it  was  first  started  in  1903.  ]\Ir.  Burkett  was  for  several 
years  a  member  of  the  National  Guard  of  Pennsylvania  and  received 
the  commission  as  regimental  adjutant  with  the  rank  of  captain,  5th 
Regiment  Infantry,  2nd  Brigade,  j\Iay  9,  1905;  this  commission  was 
signed  by  Governor  Samuel  \V.  Pennypacker.  Since  1904  he  has  been 
secretary  of  the  Masonic  Association  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  being  past  master  of  Lewistown  Lodge,  No.  203,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons;  past  high  priest  of  Lewistown  Chapter,  No.  186.  Royal 
Arch  Masons,  and  past  commander  of  Lewistown  Commandery,  No.  26, 
Knights  Templar,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Temple  Club.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  St.  John's 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church. 

He  married,  January  25,  1906,  Lovina  Crawford  McClellan,  born 
in  Juniata  county,  daughter  of  Captain  Cornelius  and  Mary  McClellan, 
he  is  a  veteran  officer  of  the  civil  war.  Child :  Dorothy,  born  September 
12,   1908. 


Among  the  enterprising  young  business  men  of  Lewistown 
KLERX     who  have  been  prominently  brought  into  notice  by  the  in- 
troduction of  new  enterprises   and  methods,    is   Herman 
Klerx,  jr.,  who  was  born  in  Germany.     He  was  well  educated  in  his 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  461 

native  land  and  there  was  taught  the  art  of  silk  weaving.  He  steadily 
progressed  in  his  art  and  became  so  proficient  in  his  knowledge  of  weav- 
ing silk  and  in  his  ability  to  manage  men  and  important  works,  that  he 
is  now  at  the  head  of  the  Lewistown  branch  of  the  Susquehanna  Silk 
Mills.  This  branch  was  organized  in  1909  as  an  ofifshoot  of  the  Susque- 
hanna Silk  Mills  of  New  York,  and  in  May,  1909,  the  erection  of  a 
mill  for  the  manufacture  of  "broad  silk"  was  begun  at  the  extreme  end 
of  South  Main  street,  Lewistown.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  one 
hundred  and  fifty  looms  were  put  in  operation,  and  so  successful  was 
the  enterprise  that  soon  the  entire  floor  space,  two  hundred  by  two  hun- 
dred feet,  was  occupied,  and  three  hundred  looms  operated  by  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  employees,  mostly  women,  were  in  busy  operation.  The 
product  is  a  fine  quality  and  "Suskana  Silks"  have  secured  a  high  reputa- 
tion in  silk  markets,  the  demand  at  times  far  exceeding  the  supply.  This 
important  branch  of  the  silk  industry  is  controlled  by  the  Schniewind 
familv  and  was  originally  established  in  Germany,  a  century  and  a  quar- 
ter ago.  They  control  fourteen  mills,  of  which  there  are  six  in  the 
United  States,  located  as  follows :  at  New  York  City ;  Sunbury,  Pennsyl- 
vania (where  a  large  dyeing  and  finishing  mill  is  also  conducted)  ; 
Marion,  Ohio;  Jersey  Shore  and  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania.  The  other 
mills  are  located  in  Germany  and  dififerent  European  countries.  The 
Lewistown  mill  is  fitted  with  the  most  modern  machinery,  adapted  to  silk 
manufacture. 


The  progenitor   of   William   H.    Harris,   of  Lewistown, 
HARRIS     Penns}dvania,  was  a  Canadian  farmer.     His  widow  later 

came  to  the  L^nited  States,  making  her  home  with  her 
son  John  until  her  death.  Their  only  living  son  (a  half  brother  of 
John)  resides  in  Canada. 

(II)  John  Harris  was  born  in  Canada  in  1844,  died  in  Lewistown. 
Pennsvlvania,  in  1887.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade,  coming  to  the  United  States  prior  to  1861.  When 
the  war  between  the  states  began  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army,  serving 
three  years.  After  the  war  he  settled  in  Lewistown.  where  he  followed 
his  trade  until  death.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  church.  He  married  in  Lewistown,  Mary  Myers,  born 
there,  survives  her  husband  and  still  (  1913)  resides  in  her  native  town. 


462  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

where  she  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Susan  Myers,  both  born  in  Snyder  county, 
Pennsylvania.  Joseph  Myers  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812,  lived 
many  years  in  Lewistown  and  there  died.  His  children  were :  George, 
a  veteran  of  the  civil  war,  resides  in  Lewistown;  Allamena,  married 
Henry  Riden  and  resides  in  Illinois;  Mary,  widow  of  John  Harris; 
Henry,  now  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  commissioners  of  Mifflin  county. 
Children  of  John  and  Mary  Harris:  i.  William  Henry,  of  whom 
further.  2.  Sudie,  married  Edward  Mills  and  resides  in  Altoona,  Penn- 
sylvania. 3.  Joseph,  resides  in  Lewistown,  unmarried.  4.  John,  resides 
in  Philadelphia,  a  carpenter.  5.  Mary,  married  William  Buck  and  resides 
in  Mount  Union,  Pennsylvania.  6.  Sarah,  married  George  Miller  and 
resides  in  Lewistown.  7.  George,  resides  in  Lewistown.  S.  Frank, 
resides  in  Lewistown.     9.  Edward,  resides  in  Lewistown. 

(Ill)  William  Henry,  eldest  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Myers)  Harris, 
was  born  in  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  May  2,  1865.  He  attended  the 
old  Toll  Gate  public  school  and  later  learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  He 
has  followed  that  occupation  all  his  life  and  since  July  10.  1892,  has 
worked  for  the  Standard  Steel  Company  at  Burnham.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics  and  for  four  years  served  on  the  borough  council 
of  Lewistown.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Americans  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  communicants 
of  the  United  Evangelical  church. 

He  married,  April  8,  1891,  Julia  Hess,  born  in  Lewistown,  January 
24,  1870,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Shearer)  Hess,  who  were 
married  in  Lewistown,  where  the  mother  died  in  1878.  Samuel  Hess 
married  (second)  Laura  Lessick,  both  now  living  in  Lewistown,  He 
is  a  veteran  of  the  civil  war,  a  Republican  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Children  of  William  H. 
and  Julia  (Hess)  Harris:  i.  Ralph,  born  ]\Iarch  19,  1892,  now  a 
student  at  New  York  Trade  School,  learning  the  plumbing  business.  2. 
Florence,  born  August  27,  1900.  3.  William,  July  26,  1903.  4.  Walter, 
December  16,  1910. 

The  family  residence  of  Mr.  Harris  is  at  No.  317  South  Brown 
street,  Lewistown,  which  was  erected  in  1897  by  Mr.  Harris,  who  is 
also  the  owner  of  other  property,  including  various  residential  pieces  in 
the  same  neighborhood. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  463 

Anson  Weiser  Snyder,  of  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  de- 
SNYDER     scends  from  old  and  long  established  English  and  German 

families  in  Pennsylvania,  who  located  in  Northumberland 
county  while  it  was  yet  a  wilderness,  made  homes  for  themselves  and 
reared  their  families.  Both  the  Snyder  and  Weiser  families  are  de- 
scended from  revolutionary  stock.  Many  of  each  are  named  on  the 
rosters  of  the  Continental  army. 

(I)  Peter  H.  Snyder,  paternal  grandfather  of  Anson  Weiser  Sny- 
der, was  born  in  Northumberland  county,  where  his  family  had  lived 
for  generations.  He  was  a  farmer  and  large  land  owner,  and  he  was 
one  of  the  prominent  men  of  his  day  and  section.  In  politics  he  was 
an  old  line  Whig,  was  active  in  the  interests  of  his  party  and  served 
in  many  of  the  local  offices.  He  married  Susan  Shipman,  like  himself 
of  an  old  Northumberland  county  family.  They  both  died  on  his 
farm.  They  had  twelve  children  among  whom  was  John  S.,  of  whom 
further. 

(II)  John  S.,  son  of  Peter  H.  and  Susan  (Shipman)  Snyder,  was 
born  February  14,  1820,  in  Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  died 
in  Michigan  in  1901.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the 
county,  and  on  reaching  adult  age  began  farming  on  land  leased  from 
his  father.  Later  he  bought  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Point 
township,  near  the  town  of  Northuml^erland,  and  there  remained  until 
after  the  death  of  his  first  wife  when  he  sold  his  farm  and  went  to 
Michigan.  He  was  a  \Vhig  as  long  as  that  party  was  in  existence, 
afterward  affiliating  with  the  Republicans,  but  never  aspired  to  office. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  married  (first) 
Margaret  Weiser,  born  in  Northumberland  county  about  18 14,  daughter 
of  Philip  and  Margaret  (Conrad)  Weiser,  also  of  old  and  long  estab- 
lished families  in  Northumberland  county.  Philip  Weiser  was  a  farmer 
and  an  extensive  land  owner,  and  was  able  to  give  each  of  his  children 
a  farm  and  money.  He  held  many  local  offices  and  was  an  influential 
man.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 
Margaret  (Weiser)  Snyder  died  in  March,  1856,  in  Point  township, 
Northumberland  county.  During  her  life  she  was  a  devoted  adherent 
of  the  Lutheran  church.  Children  by  first  marriage:  i.  Anson  Weiser, 
of  whom  further.  2.  Lester  William,  died  aged  twenty-six,  while 
cashier  of  Sunbury  Bank.     3.  John  Calvin,  a  physician  and  surgeon  in 


464  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Bowling  Green,  Ohio.  4.  Martin  Luther,  twin  of  above,  an  attorney  at 
Sunbury,  Pennsylvania.  5.  Susan  Margaret,  died  aged  three.  jMr. 
Snyder  married  (second)  Catherine  Gemberling,  of  Selins  Grove,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  by  her  had  three  children:  Simon  P.,  Phillipa,  Hudson, 
died  aged  three  years. 

(Ill)  Anson  Weiser,  son  of  John  S.  and  Margaret  (Weiser)  Snyder, 
was  born  in  Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  November  6,  1848. 
He  was  given  his  preparatory  education  in  the  common  schools,  after 
which  he  was  sent  to  the  Bloomsburg  Normal,  and  finishing  there  en- 
tered the  Selins  Grove  Theological  Seminary.  Leaving  school  he  taught 
for  two  years  in  winter  and  farmed  in  summer  in  Northumberland 
county.  He  moved  to  Mifflin  county,  purchased  a  farm  and  worked  and 
lived  on  it  for  fourteen  years.  During  this  time  he  taught  school  for 
six  terms  near  Burnham,  which  was  near  his  farm.  At  the  end  of  four- 
teen years  he  moved  to  Sunbury  and  for  two  years  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  and  insurance  business.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  disposed  of 
his  possessions  and  moved  to  Downs,  Kansas,  where  he  followed  the 
real  estate  and  insurance  business  successfully  until  the  spring  of  1907, 
when,  because  of  the  delicate  health  of  his  wife,  he  again  disposed  of 
his  business  and  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  locating  in  Lewistown.  He 
entered  into  a  partnership  with  G.  T.  Cooper  under  the  firm  name  of 
Snyder  &  Cooper,  which  continues  to  the  present  time  (1913).  They 
deal  in  lands  in  all  sections  and  represent  a  round  dozen  fire  insurance 
companies,  as  well  as  three  life  insurance  companies:  The  Union  Cen- 
tral Life,  the  Providence  Life,  Philadelphia,  and  the  Standard  Life,  of 
Pittsburgh.  He  was  connected  with  the  Farmers'  and  Merchants'  Bank 
of  Downs,  Kansas,  as  a  director  and  stockholder.  He  is  a  Republican 
and  has  held  many  local  offices  under  that  party.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church. 

He  married  (first)  December  29,  1874,  Sophia  M.  Kearns,  born 
in  Miffiin  county,  Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  Philip  S.  and  Rhoda  (Cope- 
land)  Kearns.  She  died  May  21,  1909.  They  had  no  children.  He 
married  (second)  June  21,  191 1,  Laura  Elizabeth  (Sigler)  Thompson, 
widow  of  Orris  Brown  Thompson,  and  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Fannie 
(Sterrett)  Sigler.  There  are  no  children  to  this  union.  Mrs.  Snyder, 
the  present  wife,  was  born  February  28,  1859,  in  Mifflin  county.  As  a 
girl  she  assisted  her  father  in  his  store  and  her  early  training  stood  her 


HISTORY   OF   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  465 

in  good  stead  later  in  life.  On  December  30,  1890,  she  married  Orris 
Brown  Thompson,  born  in  Mifflin  county,  son  of  Ira  B.  Thompson,  an 
old  settler  and  prominent  citizen  of  that  section.  Orris  B.  Thompson 
was  an  insurance  agent  and  a  notary  public.  In  1898  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  Coalport,  a  position  he  held  until  his  death  in  1901.  The 
United  States  government,  recognizing  Mrs.  Thompson's  ability,  ap- 
pointed her  to  the  position,  which  she  held  with  great  credit  to  herself 
and  satisfaction  to  the  postoffice  authorities  until  her  marriage  to  Mr. 
Snyder.  She  had  one  son  by  Mr.  Thompson,  Robert  Brown  Thompson, 
born  August  14,  1894,  who  is  an  electrical  engineer  in  Lewistown. 
Mrs.  Snyder  is  a  descendant  of  Colonel  Timothy  Green,  made  famous 
by  his  brilliant  war  record.  She  is  a  member  at  large  of  the  Daughters 
of  the  American  Revolution. 

Conrad  Weiser,  great-grandfather  of  Anson  Weiser  Snyder,  on  the 
maternal  side,  a  soldier  of  the  revolution,  came  into  the  possession  of 
the  beautiful  Isle  of  Que  through  a  superstition  of  an  Indian  chief. 
The  story  runs  something  like  this,  and  is  a  true  one,  too.  The  Indians 
not  only  believe  in  dreams,  but  that  all  dreams  should  be  fulfilled.  Mr. 
Weiser  was  the  owner  of  a  valuable  gun,  a  very  desirable  piece  of  prop- 
erty in  the  early  days  of  that  country.  A  neighboring  Indian  chief  very 
much  desired  the  gun,  and  related  to  Mr.  Weiser  a  dream  he  had  had, 
that  the  former  made  the  latter  a  present  of  the  gun.  The  Chief  was 
distressed  at  the  fact  of  the  dream,  for  he  did  not  know  how  it  could  be 
fulfilled  without  depriving  Mr.  Weiser  of  his  gun.  Mr.  ^^^eiser  at  once 
perceived  that  it  would  not  be  wise  to  refuse  to  make  the  gift  in  accord- 
ance with  the  dream,  and  reluctantly  in  his  own  thoughts  gave  up  the 
gun,  proposing,  however,  to  contrive  some  plan  whereby  he  might  get 
even  with  the  wily  chief.  He,  too,  in  his  most  wakeful  thoughts  had  a 
dream.  He  dreamed  that  the  same  Indian  chief  had  made  him  a  present 
of  the  beautiful  Isle  of  Que.  With  great  apparent  reluctance  he  told 
the  chief  he  had  had  a  dream,  which  concerned  the  chief,  but  he  did  not 
understand  how  it  ever  could  be  fulfilled.  He  finally  related  the  dream, 
and  the  chief  deeded  to  Mr.  Weiser  the  beautiful  island,  which  became 
one  of  the  most  valuable  properties  in  that  part  of  the  state. 

(The  Sigler  Line). 

The  Sigler  family  has  for  generations  been  among  the  most  prom- 
inent in  that  section  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania.    Of  fine  old  German 


466  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY 

stock  they  married  and  intermarried  with  the  descendants  of  the  Eng- 
lish, Irish  and  Scotch  immigrants  to  America,  and  in  them  is  embodiecf 
the  best  quahties  of  the  four  nationahties,  forming  the  true  American. 

(I)  George  Sigler,  a  native  of  Germany,  settled  in  New  Jersey  upon 
coming  to  this  country,  from  where  he  removed  to  what  is  now  Decatur 
township,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  took  up  a  large  tract  of  land  which 
he  farmed  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Mr.  Sigler  died  at  an  ad- 
vanced age  and  was  buried  on  the  homestead.  Children :  John,  Henry, 
Adam,  Samuel,  Jacob,  George,  Elizabeth.  An  interesting  story  is  told  of 
his  youngest  son,  George. 

In  the  year  that  George  (2)  Sigler  was  thirteen  years  of  age  (1775) 
there  was  a  report  that  Indians  had  invaded  the  Kishacoquillas  Valley. 
George,  the  father,  said  that  he  would  go  over  to  Bell's  and  mquire 
what  truth  there  was  in  the  rumor.  Bell  was  a  neighbor  livnig  a  mile 
away.  But  George,  the  son,  begged  that  his  father  allow  him  to  go  in- 
stead, and  permission  was  granted;  when  about  half  way,  near  a  small 
spring  on  the  north  side  of  the  present  road,  Indians  sprang  out  of  the 
bushes  and  the  lad  ran  for  home.  He  was  overtaken  and  struck  over 
the  head  with  a  club,  the  blow  knocking  him  down.  He  was  then 
obliged  to  go  with  his  captors,  five  Indians  and  a  Frenchman,  but  later 
were  joined  by  another  party  of  five  Indians  and  a  white  man,  the  second 
party  having  a  white  girl  captive  with  them.  They  were  later  joined 
by  other  Indians,  and  all  made  their  way  north  to  Canada.  He  was 
closely  watched,  and  beyond  being  tied  too  tightly,  was  not  harmed. 
On  arriving  in  Canada  he  was  painted  black  and  compelled  to  "run  the 
gauntlet."  He  came  out  of  his  ordeal  very  well,  having  a  few  scars  and 
bruises,  but  doing  some  damage  to  his  tormentors  as  he  ran  the  course. 
His  successful  "rimning  the  gauntlet"  so  pleased  a  chief  that  he  ex- 
changed a  white  girl  for  him.  After  being  held  a  captive  one  year  and  a 
day  he  was  released  July  14,  1776,  and  with  another  captive  whose 
father  had  been  murdered  by  the  Indians,  young  Sigler  made  his  way 
back  to  Pennsylvania,  coming  down  the  Susquehanna  river  to  North- 
umberland. There  he  met  one  of  his  father's  neighbors,  Caleb  Parshal, 
who  was  there  to  purchase  a  load  of  groceries  and  salt.  He  then  parted 
with  his  comrade  and  came  home  with  Parshal,  arriving  after  night. 
Parshal  went  to  the  Sigler  home  and  told  the  mother  he  had  seen  George, 
and  that  he  would  soon  be  home.     He  then  called  him  in  and  a  joyful 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  467 

reunion  followed.  After  a  talk  with  his  mother,  the  others  of  the  family 
were  awakened,  and  together  they  spent  the  night  listening  to  the  adven- 
tures of  the  boy  they  had  given  up  as  lost.  Later  he  married  Elizabeth 
Bunn,  of  New  Jersey;  both  died  and  were  buried  on  the  farm. 

(II )  John,  son  of  George  Sigler,  was  a  farmer  and  died  on  his  farm 
at  the  age  of  eighty-six.  He  accompanied  his  parents  from  New  Jersey 
to  Decatur  township.  He  married  Jane  Osborn,  and  they  lie  side  by 
side  in  the  family  cemetery  on  the  farm.  Children :  Elizabeth,  Nancy, 
Sarah,  Eleanor,  Catherine;  Samuel,  of  whom  further;  Jacob,  Mary. 

(III)  Samuel,  son  of  John  and  Jane  (Osborn)  Sigler,  was  a 
farmer  and  lived  all  his  life  on  the  farm,  and  died  there  May  7,  1859. 
He  married  Elizabeth,  widow  of  Henry  Ort.  One  child.  Joseph,  of 
whom   further. 

(IV)  Joseph,  son  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Ort)  Sigler,  was  born 
March  2,  1828,  at  the  Sigler  homestead  in  Decatur  township,  died  April 
28,  1893.  He  attended  the  public  schools  that  had  recently  been  in- 
augurated through  the  foresight  of  Thomas  Jefferson.  He  remained 
at  home  with  his  parents  until  he  began  farming  for  himself  on  his 
father's  land.  He  was  a  successful  farmer  and  prominent  in  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  his  section.  On  October  21.  1852,  he 
married  Frances  Jane,  born  November  9,  1825,  daughter  of  Timothy 
and  Margaret  (McManigal)  Sterrett ;  she  died  March  7,  1899.  Chil- 
dren: I.  Anna  Mary,  married  F.  M.  Fisher,  of  Lewistown.  2.  Mar- 
garet Woods,  married  John  Aitken.  of  Milroy,  Pennsylvania.  3.  Fannie 
Emma,  married  J.  S.  Reigle,  of  Red  Cloud,  Nebraska.  4.  Laura  Eliza- 
beth, married  (first)  Orris  Brown  Thompson,  (second)  Anson  Weiser 
Snyder  (see  Snyder  III).  5.  Sarah  Elmira,  married  W.  G.  Sigler,  of 
the  firm  of  Sigler  &  Company,  of  Paintersville,  Pennsylvania.  6.  David, 
died  in  infancy.     7.  Samuel  Sterrett. 


Among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Carroll  township.  Perry 
SMILEY  county,  Pennsylvania,  was  George  Smiley,  ensign  of  Col- 
onel Frederick  Watt's  company  in  1777.  He  came  to 
Carroll  township  in  1755  and  on  February  3rd  of  that  year  had  war- 
ranted to  him  two  hundred  and  twelve  acres,  and  William  Smiley  war- 
ranted two  hundred  and  forty-one  acres  on  the  same  day.  The  Smileys 
took  up  other  tracts  and  were  long  the  largest  land  owners  in  the  town- 


468  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

ship  and  prominent  in  its  early  history.     The  name  was  written  both 
Smyley  and  Smiley. 

{1)  Ensign  George  Smiley  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent  and  lived 
prior  to  1755  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania.  He  came  to  Perry  county 
in  1755  '*"*^  accumulated  a  large  estate.  He  married  and  had  issue: 
Frederick,  David,  George;  James,  of  whom  further;  Elizabeth,  Jane, 
Margaret,  Mary  and  Sarah.  Jane  married  George  Barnett  and  died  in 
March,  1877,  at  the  extreme  age  of  ninety-three  years. 

(II)  James,  son  of  Ensign  George  Smiley,  was  born  in  Perry  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  later  life  owned  the  farm  first  taken  up  by  his 
father.  He  was  a  prosperous  farmer  and  spent  his  life  in  Perry  county, 
where  he  owned  hundreds  of  acres  of  land.  He  and  his  wife  Martha 
both  died  in  Perry  county.  Children:  i.  Margaret,  married  Wilson 
Smiley,  both  deceased.  2.  George,  a  merchant  and  farmer,  owning  the 
homestead,  died  in  Perry  county.  3.  John,  of  whom  further.  4.  Twin 
of  John,  died  in  infancy.  5.  Sarah,  married  (first)  John  McCord, 
(second)   George  Lease. 

(III)  John,  son  of  James  and  Martha  Smiley,  was  born  in  Perry 
county.  Pennsylvania,  in  1825,  died  September  19,  1896.  He  was  a 
well-to-do  farmer,  owning  a  good  farm  of  over  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  held  several  local  offices. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
married  Sarah  Eliza  ^IcBride,  born  1843,  died  September  30,  1910, 
daughter  of  ISIatthew  (2)  and  Mary  (McGee)  McBride  and  grand- 
daughter of  Matthew  ( i )  McBride,  a  blacksmith,  who  warranted  land 
in  Center  township,  Perry  county,  about  1780,  and  on  January  9,  1786, 
purchased  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  additional.  L'pon  this  farm  he 
erected  a  blacksmith  shop,  distillery  and  a  tilt  hammer,  there  manufac- 
turing sickles.  He  had  sons :  John,  William,  Samuel,  Joseph,  Matthew 
(2),  ^leredith  and  James.  Matthew  (2)  and  Meredith  settled  upon 
the  old  homestead :  the  latter  enlisted  in  the  Union  arm}^  and  was  killed 
at  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg.  Matthew  (2)  died  a  young  man,  leav- 
ing a  widow  and  three  children,  who  afterward  lived  at  New  Bloorafield. 
Children:  i.  Sarah  Eliza,  of  previous  mention,  married  John  Smiley. 
2.  John,  a  retired  carpenter  of  Bellingham,  \\'ashington.  3.  Samuel,  a 
retired  farmer  of  New  Bloomfield.  Children  of  John  and  Sarah  E. 
(McBride)  Smiley:     i.  Martha  Alice,  married  John  L.  Garman  and  re- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  469 

sides  in  Landisburg,  Pennsylvania.  2.  Mary  V.,  married  George  IMiller 
and  resides  in  Shirleysburg,  Pennsylvania.  3.  James  Meredith,  of  whom 
further.  4.  Howard  Miles  (q.  v.).  5.  Sarah  E.,  married  N.  J.  Briner 
and  resides  in  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania.  6.  Anna  B.,  graduate  of 
Cumberland  Valley  State  Normal  School  and  now  a  teacher  in  Pitts- 
burgh. 

(IV)  Dr.  James  Meredith  Smiley,  son  of  John  and  Sarah  Eliza 
(McBride)  Smiley,  was  born  in  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  February 
20,  1867.  He  was  educated  at  Bloomfield  Academy  and  Cumberland 
Valley  State  Normal  School,  whence  he  was  graduated,  class  of  1891. 
He  taught  school  for  several  years.  He  then  decided  on  medicine  as  a 
profession,  and  entered  Jefferson  Medical  College  at  Philadelphia,  re- 
maining three  and  a  half  years,  when  a  serious  illness  prevented  his 
graduation.  After  his  recovery  he  went  south  and  there  entered  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  the  South  at  Sewanee.  Tennes- 
see (now  located  at  Nashville),  whence  he  was  graduated  M.  D.,  class  of 
1900.  He  began  the  practise  of  his  profession  in  Nashville,  Tennessee, 
remaining  one  year,  then  returning  north  and  locating  in  Yeagertown, 
Pennsylvania,  practising  alone  until  October,  1906,  whe  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  his  brother.  Dr.  Howard  M.  Smiley,  which  still  con- 
tinues. Dr.  Smiley  is  a  member  of  the  Perry  County  Medical  Society, 
and  is  well  established  as  a  skillful,  honorable  physician.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Newport,  Perry  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  is  an  Independent  in  politics.  He  married.  April  21, 
1904,  Anna  Johnston,  born  in  Mififlin  county,  Pennsylvania,  daughter  of 
Dr.  Richard  M.  Johnston. 


(IV)  Dr.  Howard  Miles  Smiley,  son  of  John  (q.  v.),  and 
SMILEY  Sarah  Eliza  (McBride)  Smiley,  was  born  at  Shermans 
Dale,  Perry  county,  February  22,  1869.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  school,  Bloomfield  Academy,  Cumberland  Valley  State 
Normal,  whence  he  was  graduated,  class  of  1893,  and  spent  one  year 
at  Pennsvlvania  State  College.  He  then  entered  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege at  Philadelphia,  whence  he  was  graduated  M.  D.,  class  of  1897. 
He  began  the  practise  of  his  profession  at  Landisburg,  Pennsylvania, 
remaining  six  years,  then  located  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  remaining  there 
about  three  years.     He  then  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  locating  in  Hunt- 


4/0  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

ingdon  for  one  year,  then  in  1906  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother, 
Dr.  James  M.  Smiley,  and  located  in  Yeagertown,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  is  now  located  in  successful  general  practise.  Dr.  Smiley  is  a  member 
of  the  Perry  County  Medical  Society  and  a  most  capable  and  trustworthy 
physician.     He  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 

He  married,  September  20,  1906,  Mary  C,  born  in  Franklin  county, 
Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  Michael  Z.  Kegerreis.  Children :  Sarah,  died 
aged  one  year ;  Robert,  born  May  29,  1908  ;  John,  May  23,  1910;  Walter, 
November  9,   19 12. 


The  American  ancestor  of  the  Wertz   family  of  Lewis- 
WERTZ     town,  Pennsylvania,  was  Peter  Wertz,  born  in  Germany, 

who,  when  a  young  man  came  to  the  United  States,  set- 
tling on  a  tract  of  land  in  Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  now  owned  by 
the  Juniata  Sand  Company.  He  cultivated  this  farm  for  several  years, 
and  finally  discovered  upon  it  a  valuable  bank  or  mine  or  white  sand,  the 
first  ever  found  in  the  country.  He  did  not  work  the  mine  himself,  but 
leased  it,  and  finally  sold  it  to  the  Juniata  Sand  Company.  He  then 
moved  to  Lewistown,  where  he  lived  a  quiet,  retired  life,  until  his  death, 
about  1870,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  Children:  i.  William,  died  in 
Mifflin  county.  2.  Joseph  A.,  of  whom  further.  3.  Sarah,  married 
Henry  Martin,  both  deceased.  4.  Peter,  a  confectioner,  now  living  in 
Reedsville,  Pennsylvania,  retired.  5.  Silas,  now  living  retired  at  Beaver 
Falls,  Pennsylvania.  6.  Matilda,  died  in  girlhood.  Peter  Wertz  mar- 
ried a  second  wife,  who  died  without  issue. 

(II)  Joseph  A.,  son  of  Peter  Wertz,  the  emigrant,  was  born  in  Juni- 
ata county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1829,  died  in  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  in 
May,  1905.  He  grew  up  a  farmer,  and  spent  his  earlier  life  in  Juniata 
county,  but  later  moved  to  Mifflin  county,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  in 
Granville  township,  which  he  later  sold.  He  then  became  proprietor  of 
the  old  "Juniata  House,"  near  the  canal  locks,  which  he  ran  for  about 
three  years.  He  then  moved  to  Phillipsburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  butcher  business  for  five  years.  He  then  returned  to  Lewis- 
town  and  there  engaged  in  the  same  business  for  three  years.  He  was  a 
well-known  Democrat,  and  served  as  associate  judge  of  Mifflin  county 
two  terms,  and  was  in  office  at  the  time  of  his  death,  being  the  only  asso- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  471 

ciate  judge  in  the  county  to  be  honored  by  a  second  term.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  married  Mary 
EHzabeth  Johnson,  of  Center  county,  daughter  of Johnson,  a  team- 
ster and  furnace  worker,  who  Hved  to  be  very  old.  Mrs.  Wertz  was 
born  in  Mifflin  county,  February  22,  1836,  and  still  survives  her  husband, 
active  and  in  good  health,  despite  her  years.  Children:  i.  Clara  E., 
married  (first)  Laird  Bricker;  married  (second)  William  Harmon,  and 
resides  in  Philadelphia.  2.  Daniel  Jackson,  killed  while  at  his  post  of 
duty  as  engineer  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad.  3.  Matilda,  married  J. 
P.  Hale  and  resides  in  Youngstown,  Ohio.     4.  Mac,  of  whom  further. 

(Ill)  Mac,  youngest  child  of  Joseph  A.  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (John- 
son) Wertz,  was  born  in  Reedsville,  Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  Octo- 
ber 25,  1862.  He  was  educated  in  the  Lewistown  public  schools,  and 
while  yet  a  boy,  ran  a  stationary  engine  for  the  Logan  Iron  Company. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  as  brakeman,  but  after  eight  months'  service  secured  a  position 
with  the  same  company  as  fireman.  He  fired  for  three  years,  then  was 
advanced  to  the  right  side  of  the  cab.  He  has  now  been  an  engineer  for 
twenty-three  years,  and  for  the  past  three  years  has  run  in  the  passenger 
train  service  between  Lewistown-Sunbury  and  Milroy.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  ]:)olitics,  and  has  served  as  councilman  from  the  first  ward.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers,  the  Improved 
Order  of  Red  Men  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Luth- 
eran church.  He  married,  July  12,  1883,  Katherine  Leukhardt,  born  in 
Lewistown,  September  16,  1864,  and  now  living  in  the  house  in  which 
she  was  born.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Gottlieb  and  Mary  (Hoch-Ammon) 
Leukhardt,  both  born  in  Germany.  Child  of  Mac  and  Katherine 
(Leukhardt)  Wertz:  Frank  L.,  born  in  April,  1886,  educated  in  the 
public  school,  graduate  of  Lewistown  high  school,  class  of  1904.  He 
worked  as  clerk  in  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  office  until  1912,  and  is 
now  a  student  at  Philadelphia  Dental  College. 

Gottlieb  Leukhardt  came  to  the  United  States  when  a  young  man, 
here  married  a  first  wife  and  (second)  Mary  (Hoch)  Ammon.  She 
married  in  her  native  land,  and  with  her  husband,  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1853,  the  voyage  consuming  fifty-three  days.  She  was  left  a 
widow  soon  after  with  a  son,  Frank  Ammon,  now  a  farmer,  of  Oliver 
township,   Mifflin  county.     She  married   (second)   Gottlieb  Leukhardt, 


472  HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY 

then  widower  without  children.     They  settled  in  Lewistown,  where  their 
five  children  were  born,  four  dying  in  infancy.     He  died  November 
1899,  aged  eighty-six  years;  she  died  September  9,  1898. 


The  McCoys,  of  Scotch  descent,  came  early  to  the  Province 
jMcCOY  of  Pennsylvania,  where  they  are  recorded  in  colonial  and 
revolutionary  annals.  There  were  several  different 
branches  of  this  family,  and  there  is  endless  toil  awaiting  he  who  shall 
be  brave  enough  to  undertake  the  task  of  tracing  to  the  American  ances- 
tor of  any  particular  McCoy.  In  "A  list  of  Bartoe  men,  hired  in  the 
service  of  ye  Province  of  Pennsyl's  1757-8,"  is  found  the  name  of  Fran- 
cis McCoy,  and  the  time  of  "entryance  in  the  service,"  May  27th.  This 
is  undoubtedly  Francis,  father  of  Captain  McCoy,  and  grandfather  of 
Francis,  the  father  of  Charles  Stuart,  the  latter  born  in  1814.  Nothing 
further  can  be  learned  of  this  first  Francis  McCoy. 

(II)  Captain  Gilbert  McCoy  enlisted  in  the  revolutionary  army  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1776,  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  captain  (see  Pennsylvania 
Archives  v  series).  After  the  war  he  settled  in  Perry  county  and  left 
numerous  descendants. 

(III)  Francis,  son  of  Captain  Gilbert  IMcCoy,  was  the  first  of  the 
name  to  settle  in  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania.  He  became  a  wealthy  grain 
merchant,  owning  there  large  warehouses  along  the  canal,  which  were 
standing  until  carried  away  by  the  flood  of  1889.  Were  Wayne  street 
to  be  extended  it  would  touch  the  site  of  these  old  warehouses.  He  also 
owned  a  great  deal  of  land  and  many  canal  boats,  in  which  he  shipped 
grain  to  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore.  After  his  death  his  business  was 
continued  for  some  time  by  his  son.  He  married  Martha  Stuart,  of 
English  descent.  Children :  Nancy  Jane,  married  Finley  Ellis  and  died 
in  Lewistown;  Charles  Stuart,  of  whom  further;  Joseph,  died  in  in- 
fancy; Francis,  died  in  infancy;  Mary,  married  Rev.  Samuel  Kepler,  and 
died  in  Lewistown;  Martha,  died  in  youthful  womanhood. 

(IV)  Charles  Stuart,  eldest  son  and  second  child  of  Francis  and 
Martha  (Stuart)  McCoy,  was  born  in  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  in  1814, 
died  in  1887.  He  received  a  good  education,  and  early  in  life  was  in- 
ducted into  the  grain  business  by  his  father.  After  the  death  of  the  lat- 
ter he  continued  the  business  for  several  years,  then  closed  it  out,  and 
until  a  short  time  before  his  death,  was  connected  with  the  Russell 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  473 

Bank.  He  was  a  man  of  generous  impulse,  giving  freely  from  his 
abundance  to  the  needy  poor.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  never 
accepted  public  office.  At  the  first  call  for  troops  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
war  between  the  states,  he  enlisted  and  served  his  full  term  of  three 
months.  Mr.  McCoy  was  an  attendant  and  his  wife  was  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  and  faithful  until  death. 

He  married  Sarah  Coverley.  She  died  in  1874.  Children:  i.  Harry 
H.  C,  died  in  Pittsburgh,  chief  clerk  and  auditor  of  the  firm,  Conway  & 
Tourley.  2.  Mary  Ellis  resides  in  Lewistown.  3.  Anna  Coverley,  de- 
ceased, married  Jermen  J.  Parker;  child,  Charles  McCoy,  resides  in 
Philadelphia.  4.  Martha,  died  in  infancy.  5.  Francis,  married  Bertha 
Collins,  and  died  in  the  state  of  Wyoming,  a  grain  merchant ;  children : 
Charles  Collins  and  Mary  Ella.  6.  Ella,  married  Harry  Hirshland,  and 
resides  in  Lewistown.  7.  Sarah,  resides  in  Lewistown.  The  daughters 
of  Mary  E.  and  Sarah  live  in  the  old  McCoy  homestead  at  No.  14  South 
Main  street,  built  of  brick  and  erected  by  their  grandfather  McCoy. 
This  is  one  of  the  oldest  houses  in  the  borough.  Francis  and  Martha 
McCoy  were  both  active  Presbyterians,  and  she  was  the  organizer,  and 
for  a  time  superintendent,  of  the  first  Sunday  school,  which  was  held  in 
her  home. 


The  Bells  are  of  English  ancestry,  although  many  of  the 
BELL     name  came  to  this  country  from  Scotland  and  the  north  of 

Ireland.  This  branch  settled  in  Tuscaroa  Valley,  in  Juniata 
county,  Pennsylvania,  where  Nathan  Bell  was  born,  lived  and  died.  He 
became  a  prosperous  farmer  and  left  behind  him  an  honored  name.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  in  a  quiet  and 
retiring  way  aided  by  the  example  of  an  upright  life  in  advancing  the 
moral  tone  of  his  community.  He  married  and  had  three  sons,  all  of 
whom  entered  the  Union  army,  two  giving  up  their  lives  on  the  field  ot 
battle.  Nathan  Bell  is  buried  in  Mifflin,  Pennsylvania.  His  wife  was 
also  a  devoted  Christian,  and  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  Children:  i.  Nathan,  killed  in  battle.  2.  Susan,  married  a  Mr. 
Valentine,  and  died  at  Paterson,  Pennsylvania.  3.  ^^'illiam,  twin  of 
Susan,  of  whom  further.  4.  Elizabeth,  married  and  moved  to  the  far 
west.  5.  Samuel,  twin  of  Elizabeth,  a  soldier  of  the  civil  war,  died  near 
Mifflin  in  1910. 


474  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    \\\LLEY 

(II  j  William,  second  son  of  Nathan  Bell,  was  born  in  iMitilin,  Juni- 
ata county.  Pennsylvania.  He  attended  the  public  school,  and  after  ar- 
riving at  a  suitable  age,  learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  He  later  located 
in  Lewistown,  where  he  engaged  in  general  contracting  until  1861,  when 
he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Two  hundred  and  fifth  Regiment  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteer  Infantry.  After  his  first  term  of  office  expired  he  re-en- 
listed and  in  the  fighting  before  Richmond  was  killed.  He  was  a  man  of 
lovable  disposition,  quiet  and  retiring  in  manner,  but  brave  and  deter- 
mined in  the  discharge  of  his  duty,  a  man  of  upright  character,  trustwor- 
thy in  all  his  business  transactions.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  mar- 
ried Margaret  J.  Mayes,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Martha  (Spatz) 
Mayes,  of  Center  county,  Pennsylvania.  Thomas  Mayes  was  a  farmer 
and  land  owner,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  as  was  his  wife. 
Mrs.  Margaret  J.  Bell  was  a  woman  of  strong  character,  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  an  active  worker.  She  died  in  October, 
1907.  Children:  i.  Ellen  Frances  (Ella),  now  residing  at  No.  44  Chest- 
nut street,  Lewistown,  in  the  house  in  course  of  construction  at  the  time 
of  her  father's  death.  2.  Thomas,  an  employee  of  the  Standard  Steel 
Company ;  married  Hannah  Scott,  and  resides  in  Lewistown. 


There  were  many  families  of  this  name  early  settlers  in 
JACKSON     Pennsylvania,  and  the  Juniata  Valley,  where  the  name  is 

perpetuated  by  Jackson   township    in   Ijoth    Perry   and 
Snyder  counties. 

The  earliest  record  of  this  branch  is  of  Robert  A.  Jackson,  born  in 
Lewistown,  where  he  died  about  1885.  He  was  a  cabinet-maker,  and 
followed  that  trade  all  his  life,  working  for  the  old  furniture-making 
firms,  the  McClintic's  and  the  Felix's.  He  was  an  ardent  Democrat,  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
served  in  the  Union  army  during  the  war  between  the  states,  from  Au- 
gust 21,  1864,  to  June  5,  1865,  as  a  private  of  Company  F,  205th  Regi- 
ment, Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  a  man  much  respected.  He  mar- 
ried in  Lewistown,  Lovina  Stahl,  who  died  there  about  1890,  daughter 
of  Henry  and  Susan  Stahl,  born  in  Bucks  county.  Pennsylvania,  and 
early  settlers  in  Lewistown,  where  Henry  Stahl  followed  the  butcher 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  475 

business,  and  died  aged  over  eighty  years.  Children :  Henry,  died  in 
Wilkes-Barre,  Pennsylvania;  Charles,  died  in  Levvistown;  George,  died 
in  Lewistown;  Ann,  married  James  Thomas,  and  died  in  Lewistown; 
Lovina,  married  Robert  A.  Jackson ;  Adam,  died  at  Newton  Hamilton. 
Children  of  Robert  A.  and  Lovina  (Stahl)  Jackson:  i.  William,  died  in 
boyhood.  2.  Annie,  deceased;  married  (first)  Wilbur  Culbertson,  (sec- 
ond) Joseph  Denmire.  3.  Ella,  deceased;  married  Adam  Rankin.  4. 
Robert,  resides  in  Iowa,  a  cabinet-maker.  5.  James,  died  in  Lewis- 
town.  6.  Charles,  of  whom  further.  7.  Harry  C,  now  engaged  in  the 
coal  business  in  Lewistown.  8.  Susan,  married  William  Houtz,  whom 
she  survives,  a  resident  of  Philadelphia.    9.  Carrie,  died  in  infancy. 

(II)  Charles,  son  of  Robert  A.  and  Lovina  (Stahl)  Jackson,  was 
born  in  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  March  28,  1858.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools,  and  learned  the  printer's  trade  with  George  Frysinger, 
with  whom  he  worked  four  j-ears  in  Lewistown.  He  then  went  west,  and 
there  worked  at  cabinet-making  for  three  years  with  his  brother,  Rob- 
ert, in  Winfield,  Iowa.  He  then  returned  to  Lewistown.  and  there  was 
clerk  in  a  general  store  for  fifteen  months.  He  then  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Lewistown  &  Sunbury  Railroad  Company,  remaining  but  three 
months.  He  then  began  carpentering,  at  which  he  has  continued  until 
the  present  date.  For  twenty-eight  years  he  has  resided  in  the  sixth 
ward  of  Lewistown,  and  in  1905,  built  his  present  home,  a  double  house, 
at  No.  303  South  Alain  street,  and  in  the  same  year  built  the  residence 
now  owned  by  his  son-in-law,  John  C.  Taylor,  at  No.  299  South  Main 
street.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church. 

He  married,  in  1880,  Nettie  Aurand,  born  in  Mifflin  county,  daughter 
of  George  Aurand,  an  old  settler:  she  died  in  1907.  Children :  i.  Charles 
Monroe,  died  in  infancy.  2.  Ethel,  married  John  C.  Taylor,  a  railroad 
employee,  and  resides  in  Lewistown.     Child  :    Hannah  Annetta. 


This  branch  of  the  Hoffman    family  descends   from 
HOFFMAN     Valentine  Hoffman,  born  in  Germany,  came  to  Penn- 
sylvania with  his  wife,  settling  in  town  of  Lancaster, 
where  he  is  named  in  the  early  records  as  a  "smith."     In  this  case  this 
meant  "a  maker  of  edged  tools."    He  became  a  large  land  owner  in  the 
borough  of  Lancaster,  where  Hoffman's   run,  a   small  brook   running 


476  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUXIATA    VALLEY 

through  his  property,  was  named  for  him.  This  is  now  Water  street, 
Lancaster.    He  had  three  sons  and  a  daughter. 

(II)  Christian,  son  of  Valentine  Hoffman,  was  a  resident  of  Cum- 
berland county,  Pennsylvania,  until  about  1837,  when  he  moved  to 
Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  settling  at  Lewistown.  He  was  a  carpen- 
ter, working  at  that  trade  for  many  years  in  Lancaster  and  Cumber- 
land counties,  before  coming  to  Lewistown.  He  died  in  Lewistown  be- 
tween the  years  1840  and  1845.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
St.  John's  Lutheran  Church.  She  died  about  1843.  Children:  William 
Boyer,  of  whom  further;  Frederick  J.,  a  merchant  in  Lewistown.  died  in 
St.  Paul,  Minnesota ;  Christian  Jacob,  a  grain  broker,  died  in  Philadel- 
phia; Catherine,  died  in  infancy. 

(HI)  William  Boyer,  eldest  son  of  Christian  Hoffman,  was  born  in 
Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  January  6,  1812,  died  in  Lewistown,  Pennsylva- 
nia, in  INIay,  1872.  He  came  to  Lewistown  when  a  young  man  in  1840, 
married  and  for  a  time  lived  on  a  farm.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  soon 
left  the  farm,  coming  to  Lewistown,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade. 
About  1858  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  and  coal  trade,  continuing  until 
his  death.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the  old  Lewistown  Academy,  chief  bur- 
gess of  Lewistown,  and  one  of  the  organizers  of  Anderson  Hook  & 
Ladder  Company,  of  which  he  was  president.  He  was  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  active  in  the  affairs  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  serving  for 
several  years  as  trustee.  He  married  in  1840  Frances  Strunk,  born  in 
i\Iifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  June  16,  1816,  died  in  Lewistown  in  Jan- 
uary, 1895.  She  was  the  daughter  of  George  and  Susan  (Golden) 
Strunk.  George  Strunk  was  a  farmer  and  early  settler  at  Lewistown. 
He  was  also  a  miller  and  operated  a  grist  mill  that  stood  on  the  present 
site  of  Mann's  Edge  Tool  Factory.  This  he  later  sold  and  purchased  a 
farm  in  Granville  township,  now  owned  by  Henry  Clay  Hoffman.  Later 
he  purchased  Brown's  ]\lills  at  Reedsville,  which  he  owned  until  his 
death,  about  1880.  He  served  a  term  as  commissioner  of  Mifi^in  county, 
and  was  a  man  of  substance  and  ability.  He  married  Susan  Golden. 
Children:  i.  Frances,  of  previous  mention,  married  William  Boyer 
Hoffman.  2.  John,  a  farmer,  near  Williamsport,  Pennsylvania,  now  de- 
ceased ;  married  Mrs.  \\'akefield,  a  widow.  3.  ^^'illiam,  died  aged 
eighty-two  years,  also  a  farmer  near  Williamsport ;  married  a  Miss  Bol- 
linger.    4.  Edward,  married  and  moved  to  Colon,  ^Michigan,  where  he 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  477 

died.  5.  Henry,  died  in  W'illiamsport,  a  retired  miller;  married  Fanny- 
Taylor.  6.  George,  died  at  W'illiamsport,  a  farmer  and  dairyman;  mar- 
ried Maria  Shull.  7.  Joseph,  died  in  Altoona,  a  dairyman ;  married  Le- 
titia  Owens.  8.  Rudolph,  died  in  Mifflin  county,  a  young  man ;  married 
Ellen  Bear.  9.  Albert,  the  only  living  child,  resides  at  Jersey  Shore, 
Pennsylvania,  a  farmer.  10.  Elizabeth,  married  Dr.  Isaac  Sides,  who, 
in  1854,  moved  to  Colon,  Michigan,  and  there  died.  11.  Harriet,  mar- 
ried (first)  Rev.  Bland,  married  (second)  William  A.  Clymer,  a  teacher, 
died  in  Missouri.  12.  Mary,  married  William  Durst,  and  died  in  Mif- 
flinburg.  Children  of  \Mlliam  Boyer  Hoffman:  i.  Henry  Clay,  of 
whom  further.  2.  George  Strunk,  died  in  1902.  at  Lewistown,  unmar- 
ried. He  was  a  retired  coal  and  lumber  dealer;  member  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania house  of  assembly  in  1886;  chief  burgess  of  Lewistown,  and  a 
prominent  Odd  Fellow.  3.  William  Horace,  died  in  October,  1903.  He 
was  a  partner  with  his  brother,  George  S.,  in  the  coal  and  lumber  firm 
of  Hoffman  &  Sons,  from  which  he  retired  in  1901.  4.  Ella  M.,  died 
aged  six  years. 

(IV)  Herxr\-  Clay,  eldest  son  of  William  Boyer  and  Frances 
(Strunk)  Hoffman,  was  born  in  Granville  township, Mifflin  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, March  24,  1841.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and 
Lewistown  Academy,  beginning  business  life  as  clerk  in  a  general  store. 
Later  he  engaged  in  the  milling  business  at  Reedsville,  continuing  sev- 
eral years,  then  in  the  same  business  at  Milroy  four  years,  About  1896 
he  returned  to  Lewistown,  where  he  engaged  in  the  coal  and  lumber 
business  with  M.  W.  Brandt  anad  is  still  so  engaged.  He  is  a  Progres- 
sive in  politics,  but  has  never  accepted  office.  He  is  a  veteran  of  the  civil 
war,  in  which  he  enlisted  August  23,  1862,  Company  D,  131st  Regiment 
Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry,  serving  nine  months  as  hospital  stew- 
ard. He  was  honorably  discharged  May  23,  1863.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  served  two  terms  as  commander 
of  Colonel  Huling  Post,  No.  176.  He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Lewistown. 

Mr.  Hoffman  married,  April  11,  1878,  Harriet  Van  Valzah  Blym- 
yer,  daughter  of  George  and  Mary  (Crull)  Blymyer.  George  Blymyer 
was  born  in  Lewisberry,  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1805,  s^n  ^^ 
Andrew  and  Margaret  (Ensminger)  Blymyer,  who  lived  and  died  in 
Lewisberry.     George  Blymyer  came  to  Lewistown  in  1842,  and  was  a 


478  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

successful  merchant,  miller  and  boat  owner.  He  was  a  Republican,  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  mar- 
ried in  1S29,  ]\Iary,  daughter  of  Jacob  Crull,  a  farmer.  She  died  in 
1895.  Of  the  twelve  children  of  George  Blymyer,  three  are  living:  Har- 
riet v.,  wife  of  Henry  Clay  Hoffman;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  John  J.  Fitz- 
gerald ;  and  Margaret,  unmarried.  Children  of  Henry  Clay  and  Har- 
riet V.  (Blymyer)  HoiTman:  i.  Frances,  born  June  6,  1879.  2.  Chris- 
tian Atlee,  born  June  23,  1882,  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Drexel 
Institute,  where  he  was  graduated,  class  of  1905,  department  of  mechan- 
ical engineering.  He  is  now  at  Panama  with  the  McClintock  &  Marshall 
Construction  Company.  He  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason  of  Scottish 
Rite,  Harrisburg  Consistory,  and  a  Noble  of  Joppa  Temple,  .\ltoona. 
3.  Margaret,  born  January  6,  1886,  educated  in  the  public  schools,  Lew- 
istown  Preparatory  School,  and  Alary  Baldwin  Seminary  at  Staunton, 
Virginia. 


The  Dalbys  came  to  Lewistown  from  Cumberland  county, 
DALBY  Pennsylvania,  where  the  first  of  mention  is  Samuel  Dalby, 
grandfather  of  James  I.  Dalby,  the  present  representative 
of  the  family  in  Lewistown.  Samuel  Dalby,  of  Cumberland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  was  an  early  settler  in  Mifflin  county,  locating  about  three 
miles  from  Lewistown,  on  a  small  tract  upon  which  he  built  a  log  house. 
He  cleared  his  land  and  there  lived  for  many  years.  He  died  in  Lewis- 
town  and  is  buried  in  the  Episcopal  cemetery.  He  married  and  had 
three  children:  William,  died  in  infancy;  James  Irvin,  of  whom  further; 
Ann,  married  David  Young,  and  died  in  Alifflin  county. 

(II)  James  Irvin,  son  of  Samuel  Dalby,  was  born  in  Carlisle,  Cum- 
berland county,  about  1803,  died  in  Lewistown.  Pennsylvania,  in  Alarch, 
1874. 

He  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  county,  married,  and,  about 
1840,  came  to  Lewistown,  which  was  ever  afterward  his  home.  He 
established  a  draying  and  express  business,  hauling  from  the  Pennsyl- 
vania railroad  station  to  the  village,  one  mile  away.  He  also  carried 
freight  to  nearby  towns,  kept  his  teams  busy  and  by  industry  and  thrift, 
prospered.  He  also  kept  a  small  confectionery  shop  on  \^alley  street. 
He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  members 
of  the  Lutheran  church.    He  married  Margaret  Alartin,  born  in  Cumber- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  479 

land  county,  died  in  Lewistown,  May  8,  1S65.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
a  Cumberland  county  farmer  of  small  means,  and  the  youngest  of  three 
children :  John,  a  small  farmer  and  watchman  for  the  Northern  Central 
railroad;  Eliza,  married  Jacob  Heck  and  died  in  Cumberland  county; 
Margaret,  married  James  Irvin  Dalby.  Children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dalby : 
I.  William,  died  in  infancy.  2.  Charles,  died  in  Lewistown,  a  merchant. 
3.  Lewis,  died  in  Reedsville,  a  railroad  employee.  4.  Jane,  married 
James  D.  Heck,  a  foreman  with  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  and  resides  in 
Lewistown.  5.  Anna,  died  in  infancy.  6.  James  Irvin  (2),  of  whom 
further.  7.  Ella,  married  William  Murphy,  both  deceased.  8.  Laura, 
died  in  childhood.    9.  Annie,  died  in  infancy. 

(Ill)  James  Irvin  (2),  son  of  James  Irvin  (i)  and  ]^Iargaret  (Mar- 
tin) Dalby,  was  born  at  the  family  home  on  Dorcas  street,  Lewistown. 
Pennsylvania,  October  14,  1849.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and 
early  became  his  father's  assistant  in  his  teaming  and  express  business. 
After  several  years  he  succeeded  his  father,  and  until  1912  continued  in 
successful  business  operation.  He  had  a  virtual  monopoly  of  his  business 
in  the  borough,  kept  nine  horses,  five  wagons  and  eight  men  busily  em- 
ployed for  many  years,  then  in  19 12  sold  his  teaming  interests  to  French 
&  McCabe,  and  retired.  Since  that  date  he  has  been  engaged  solely  in 
the  care  of  his  real  estate  and  property.  He  has  always  been  interested 
in  town  improvement,  and  was  one  of  the  influential  workers  in  secur- 
ing the  paving  of  Valley  street  from  Market  street  to  its  present  term- 
inus. He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle,  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  but  beyond  serving  as  grand  juryman,  has  never  accepted  of- 
fice. 

He  married,  in  1870,  Caroline  Harry,  born  at  Shade  Gap,  Pennsyl- 
vania, daughter  of  Samuel  and  Matilda  Harry,  old  settlers.  Children:  i. 
Harry  L,  married  May  Dell,  and  resides  in  Yeagertown;  children: 
Marian  and  Samuel  James.  2.  Frances,  married  Frederick  Brown,  and 
resides  in  Lewistown.  3.  Arthur,  who  married  Grace  Feather,  and 
resides  in  Lewistown ;  they  have  children :  Richard,  Irvin  and  Caroline. 
4.  Maude,  who  married  Walter  Calvin,  assistant  superintendent  of  ma- 
chinery at  the  Standard  Steel  Works;  they  have  one  child,  Joseph.  ^. 
John,  who  died  aged  fourteen  years.  6.  Walter,  who  is  a  fireman  on 
the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  and  who  makes  his  home  at  McKees 
Rocks,  Pennsylvania. 


48o  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Under  the  above  spelling  it  is  impossible  to  trace  this 
SWYERS  family  beyond  the  grandfather,  Joseph  Swyers.  If,  how- 
ever, as  seems  wholly  probable,  the  name  is  a  form  of 
Schweier,  or  Schweyer,  the  line  can  be  continued  to  1752  in  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  to  1630  in  Europe.  The  seat  of  the  family  since  the  twelfth 
century  was  in  Pomerania,  a  province  of  Prussia.  Family  history  states 
that  in  1630  two  brothers,  Schweyer,  residents  of  the  capital  city  Stetlin, 
joined  the  army  of  the  Swedish  King,  Gustavus  Adolphus,  when  he 
landed  at  Stetlin  on  his  march  to  Central  Europe  to  take  part  in  the 
Thirty  Year  war.  One  of  these  brothers,  Felix  Schweyer,  was  killed  at 
an  assault  upon  Frankfort;  the  other  brother,  Conrad  Schweyer,  re- 
mained with  the  army  until  1648.  when  peace  being  declared  he  settled  at 
Biberic,  Germany,  broken  in  health  and  fortune.  He  died  in  1672,  leav- 
ing a  son,  Augustus,  to  succeed  him.  Augustus  had  three  sons,  of  whom 
Francis  married,  and  had  a  son,  Nicholas  Schweyer,  who  came  to  Amer- 
ica on  the  ship  "Neptune,"  landing  at  Philadelphia,  Jtily  25,  1752,  after  a 
voyage  of  sixty  days  from  Rotterdam.  Nicholas  Schweyer  settled  at 
Kutztown,  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  died  in  1801  and  was 
buried  on  his  own  farm.  Six  sons  and  two  daughters  survived.  From 
one  of  these  sons  it  is  believed  comes  Forrest  Swyers,  of  Yeagertown. 
Another  form  of  the  name  found  in  the  Juniata  Valley  is  Schweier, 
where  or  when  the  change  was  made  does  not  appear,  as  the  earliest 
record  of  this  branch  is  of  Joseph  and  Susan  (]\Iiller)  Swyers,  who  lived 
in  Franklin  county  until  later  in  life,  when  they  moved  to  Huntingdon 
county.  Joseph  Swyers  was  an  iron  furnace  worker  all  his  active  life;  a 
man  of  industry,  and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  was  twice 
married,  having  twelve  children  by  each  wife.  Susan  Miller,  grand- 
mother of  Forrest  Swyers,  was  his  second  wife.  After  his  death  she 
lived  with  her  children  in  Sharon,  Pennsylvania. 

(II)  Joseph  (2),  son  of  Joseph  (i)  and  Susan  (Miller)  Swyers,  was 
born  in  Loudon,  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  June,  1814,  died  in 
Derry  township,  Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1890.  He  grew  up  an 
iron  w'orker,  and  when  a  young  man  went  to  Blair  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  married  and  lived  until  1856,  when  he  moved  to  Mifflin 
county,  settling  in  Derry  township.  He  continued  in  the  iron  business 
until  his  death,  working  at  the  Old  Freedom  Forge  for  many  years.  He 
was  first  a  Whig,  later  a  Republican  in  politics.     Both  he  and  his  wife 


^  c^zj^^'/' q/ ^-^  -^^^^^r^ 


HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY  481 

were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  married  Mary- 
Cook,  born  in  Virginia  in  June,  1815,  daughter  of  William  and  Jane 
(Armstrong)  Cook,  who  were  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  coming  to 
the  United  States  about  1815,  settling  in  Virginia.  William  Cook  was  a 
miner  and  followed  his  trade  in  Virginia  mitil  his  death  at  Harpers 
Ferry.  His  widow  and  children  came  to  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  she  died.  Both  William  and  Jane  Cook  were  members  of  the 
Episcopal  church.  Children  of  Joseph  (2)  Swyers:  i.  Forrest,  of 
whom  further.  2.  Henrietta,  died  in  youthful  womanhood.  3.  Lavinia, 
deceased ;  married  Joseph  McVaugh.  4.  William,  now  living  in  Renovo, 
Pennsylvania.  5.  Susan,  married  a  Mr.  Roof,  whom  she  survives,  a 
resident  of  Reedsville,  Pennsylvania.  6.  Joseph,  now  living  at  Athens, 
Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania.  7.  Margaret,  deceased;  married  Wil- 
liam \V)ntz.    8.  Thomas,  now  living  in  Waterloo,  Iowa. 

(Ill)  Forrest,  eldest  son  of  Joseph  (2)  and  Mary  (Cook)  Swyers, 
was  born  at  Williamsburg,  Blair  county,  Pennsylvania,  September  29, 
1838.  He  attended  the  public  schools,  and  early  began  work  around  the 
iron  furnaces.  He  worked  at  Tyrone  for  five  years,  then  in  1856  came  to 
Mifflin  county  with  his  father.  He  was  employed  at  Freedom  Forge 
many  years  under  John  A.  W^right,  then  worked  for  William  Butcher, 
going  from  him  to  the  Standard  Steel  Works,  where  he  continued  until 
1906,  when  he  retired,  being  then  assistant  foreman  of  the  hammer  shop 
and  the  oldest  man  in  the  company's  employ.  On  June  27,  1863,  Mr. 
Swyers  enlisted  for  state  defence  and  served  for  three  months  in  Com- 
pany H.  Thirty-sixth  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Infantry.  Although  not 
engaged,  the  regiment  was  ready  for  service  and  arrived  at  Gettysburg 
too  late  for  the  battle  by  one  day.  Mr.  Swyers  has  been  an  industrious, 
careful  man,  and  has  provided  a  competence  for  his  old  age.  In  1883  he 
built  his  present  brick  residence  on  the  "Pike"  and  also  owns  property  in 
Yeagertown  and  Burnham.  He  is  a  man  of  high  standing,  and  from 
1905  to  191 1  served  as  associate  judge  of  Mifflin  county.  For  twelve 
years  he  served  as  school  director  in  Derry  township,  and  in  all  things 
he  has  proved  a  good  citizen.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in  re- 
ligious faith  a  Lutheran.  He  is  a  member  of  Lewistown  Lodge,  No.  203, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle. 

He  married,  in   i860,  Catherine  Ready,  born  in  Franklin  county, 
Pennsylvania,  died  July  28.  1909,  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Catherine 


482  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

Ready.  Children:  i.  Fidelia,  born  October  lo,  1862;  married  George 
Matthews;  lives  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.  2.  William  T.,  born 
March  9,  1864,  died  August  29,  1864.  3.  Edward,  born  May  31,  1865, 
died  June  4,  1865.     4.  Mary  Alice,  born  February  4.  1867;  married  W. 

B.  Rodgers;  lives  in  Lewistown.  5.  Harry  C,  born  January  6,  1869; 
married  Lyda  Reynolds;  resides  in  Derry  township,  an  inm  worker.  6. 
Vincent  H.,  born  October  6,  1871,  died  in  infancy.  7.  Adeline  V.,  born 
August  13,  1873,  clisd  April  7,  1895.  8.  Irene,  born  January  17,  1876; 
married  McDonald  Aikens ;  lives  in  Yeagertown.  9.  Blanchard  K.,  born 
February  10,  1878;  married  Zella  Zerbe;  lives  in  Lewistown.     10.  Allen 

C,  born  December  16,  1879,  died  in  infancy.  11.  Robert  L.,  born  Jan- 
uary 16,  1881 ;  resides  in  Pottsville,  Pennsylvania,  unmarried.  12.  La- 
vinia  H.,  born  August  16,  1882,  died  Alarch  3,  1906.  unmarried.  13. 
Katie  May,  born  September  27,  1884;  married  Wendell  P.  Wear;  re- 
sides in  Burnham.  14.  Edith  Gertrude,  born  November  8,  1887,  died 
September  9.  1887.     15.  Child  died  unnamed. 


Since  1802  this  has  been  one  of  the  landed  families  of  Hunt- 
DELL  ingdon  count}^  Pennsylvania.  The  family  is  of  Scotch  de- 
scent, and  came  to  Juniata  Valley  from  Baltimore,  Maryland. 
The  first  settler  here  was  Henry  Dell,  who  came  about  1802,  taking  up  a 
tract  of  land  lying  near  Cassville  in  Hare's  Valley.  He  was  a  mighty 
hunter  and  a  successful  farmer  as  well.  His  si.x  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  located  in  both  Cass  and  Union  townships^^  was  thickly  covered 
with  timber,  but  ere  his  death,  at  the  age  of  ninety-three  years,  a  large 
part  of  it  had  been  cleared  and  brought  under  cultivation.  The  work  of 
clearing  and  cultivating  was  continued  by  his  sons  until  it  was  all  sub- 
dued and  made  to  yield  bountifully.  This  farm  has  never  been  out  of 
the  family  since  its  first  coming  into  the  possession  of  Henry  Dell.  His 
wife,  Ann  (Crawford)  Dell,  for  him  four  sons  and  two  daughters:  i. 
Michael,  resided  on  the  homestead  until  his  death  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four  years.  2.  Samuel,  twin  of  Michael,  died  in  Huntingdon  county, 
aged  about  sixty  years;  was  a  farmer.  3.  Archibald,  died  in  Huntingdon 
county;  was  a  carpenter  and  farmer.  4.  Leah,  married  James  Fields; 
died  at  Mapleton,  Pennsylvania.  5.  Rachel,  married  Jacob  Miller;  died 
near  Mapleton.    6.  Levi,  of  whom  further. 

(II)   Levi,  son  of  Henry  and  Ann   (Crawford)   Dell,  was  born  in 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  483 

Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  181 1,  died  in  May,  1866.  He 
grew  up  on  the  homestead  farm  and  remained  at  home,  his  father's  as- 
sistant, until  his  marriage.  He  then  purchased  a  tract  of  two  hundred 
acres  in  Union  township  which  he  cleared  and  cultivated  until  his  death. 
As  he  prospered  he  added  two  hundred  and  sixty  four  acres  to  his  hold- 
ings, being  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  his  township.  He  was  a 
Whig  in  politics  until  the  birth  of  the  Republican  party,  then  joined  that 
organization.  He  held  several  local  offices,  and  was  well  known  and 
highly  respected.  In  religious  faith  he  worshiped  with  his  wife,  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church.  He  married  Mary  Shoop,  born  in  Hunt- 
ingdon county,  Pennsylvania,  died  about  1891,  daughter  of  John  Shoop, 
an  early  settler  of  L'nion  township,  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  died  and  is  buried  in  the  family  cemetery  on  the  homestead. 
He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the  German  Baptist 
church  (Dunkard).  He  married  and  had  issue:  Sally,  married  Isaac 
McClean,  and  died  in  Huntingdon  county;  Susan,  married  Darby  Chil- 
coot,  and  died  in  Lewistown;  Emmeline,  married  James  Hooper,  and 
died  in  Huntingdon  county:  Mary,  of  previous  mention,  married  Levi 
Dell ;  Jacob,  deceased :  Abraham,  a  rover,  died  in  Tennessee.  Children 
of  Levi  and  Mary  Dell:  i.  Catherine,  married  Caleb  Wright:  resides  in 
Huntingdon  county.  2.  Rachel,  married  Milton  Brennemon;  died  in 
Huntingdon  county.  3.  John,  died  in  186 1.  4.  Archibald,  killed  on  the 
railroad  in  1892;  was  a  mail  carrier.  5.  Samuel,  of  whom  further.  6. 
Mary,  married  Adam  Bagshaw;  resides  in  Huntingdon  county.  7. 
Frank,  resides  in  Bedford  county,  Pennsylvania ;  a  lumberman.  8. 
Thomas,  died  about  1868.  9,  George,  died  in  infancy.  10.  Leonard, 
died  in  boyhood.  11.  Josephine,  died  in  girlhood.  12.  Betsey,  died  in 
girlhood.  13.  Jane,  resides  in  Huntingdon  county,  unmarried.  14. 
James  C,  lives  near  Mapleton,  Pennsylvania,  a  farmer. 

(Ill)  Samuel,  fifth  child  of  Levi  and  Mary  (Shoop)  Dell,  was  born 
in  Union  township,  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  July  14,  1843. 
He  grew  to  manhood  at  the  home  farm,  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  and  continued  a  farmer  until  June,  1863.  He  then  enlisted  in 
Company  A,  Twenty-second  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  serving 
until  February  i,  1864,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged.  He  was  em- 
ployed principally  on  scout  duty  while  in  the  army,  and  escaping  all  in- 
jury returned  safely  to  his  home  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service. 


484  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

He  then  began  learning  the  carpenter's  trade,  working  in  Huntingdon 
county  until  1867,  when  he  located  in  Yeagertown,  Milflin  count}',  find- 
ing employment  with  the  Freedom  Iron  Company  (now  Standard 
Steel),  continuing  with  that  corporation  for  a  term  of  thirty-three  years, 
a  most  exceptional  record  of  long  and  faithful  service.  In  the  year  1900 
he  began  lumbering  operations  in  Derry  township,  a  business  he  has 
since  conducted  very  successfully.  His  plant,  consisting  of  several  port- 
able saw  mills,  was  moved  from  place  to  place  as  tracts  of  timber  be- 
came available,  but  he  has  now  curtailed  his  operations  to  one  mill.  Dur- 
ing his  near  half-century  in  Mifflin  county,  Mr.  Dell  has  won  an  excel- 
lent standing,  and  has  a  wide  acquaintance.  He  is  a  careful,  upright 
business  man  and  a  good  citizen.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
from  1904  until  1909  inclusive  served  as  commissioner  of  Mifflin  county, 
being  re-elected  to  a  second  term.  He  gave  county  business  the  same 
careful  attention  that  his  own  affairs  received,  and  was  a  most  valuable 
member  of  the  board.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks, 
and  Colonel  Huling's  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Both  Mr. 
Dell  and  his  wife  are  active  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

He  married,  IMay  23,  1872,  Mary  Marian,  daughter  of  Simon  and 
Elizabeth  Yeager,  of  Yeagertown,  Pennsylvania.  Children:  i.  George, 
died  in  infancy.  2.  Mary  Elizabeth,  married  I.  Harry,  son  of  James  J. 
Dalby ;  children :  Marian,  Caroline  and  Samuel  James.  3.  Grace  Irene, 
married  William  McBride,  whom  she  survives,  without  issue. 


The    Liddicks,    of    Lewistown,    Pennsylvania,    descend 
LIDDICK     from  the  Perry  county  family,  founded  in  that  county  by 

Frederick  Liddick,  who  was  an  early  settler  and  a  large 
land  owner.  He  purchased  a  tract  of  twelve  hundred  acres,  part  of 
which  he  cleared  and  improved.  He  lived  a  useful  life,  married  and 
reared  a  large  family.  Both  he  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  died  in  Perry 
county.  Children:  William,  Jacob,  Frederick,  John  F.,  of  whom  fur- 
ther; Sarah,  Amos,  Thomas,  Louisa  and  two  who  died  in  infancy.  All 
are  now  deceased,  except  John  F.  and  Louisa. 

(II)  John  F.,  son  of  Frederick  and  Elizabeth  Liddick,  was  born  in 
Perry  countv.  Pennsylvania,  November  19,  1838.  He  attended  the  pub- 
lic school,  and  grew  to  manhood  at  the  home  farm  becoming  well  versed 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  485 

in  agricultural  methods.  After  his  marrriage  he  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Watts  township,  Perry  county,  continuing  there  until  1886,  when  he 
moved  to  a  farm  at  Lasher's  Run  in  the  same  county,  remaining  there 
three  years.  He  then  moved  to  Lewistown,  where  he  was  employed  at 
the  coal  shutes  three  years ;  then  returned  to  his  Lasher's  Run  farm,  re- 
maining for  two  years.  He  then  came  again  to  Lewistown,  his  present 
home.  He  enlisted  during  the  last  year  of  the  civil  war  in  Company  H, 
Forty-seventh  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  saw  a 
great  deal  of  actual  service.  He  was  engaged  in  several  battles  and 
skirmishes  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  at  Winchester,  Cedar  Creek, 
Fisher's  Hill  and  others,  but  came  through  unscathed,  returning  to  his 
home  in  safety.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
active  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  married  Mary 
E.  Wright,  born  in  Perry  county,  died  in  Lewistown,  September  20, 
1908,  eldest  daughter  of  George  and  Elizabeth  Wright.  George  Wright 
was  an  early  farmer  of  Perry  county,  owning  a  small  tract  which  he 
cultivated  until  death.  He  had  children:  Mary  E.,  John,  Harry, 
Emanuel,  William,  Matilda,  deceased ;  Ackerman,  deceased ;  Annie, 
Children  of  John  F.  Liddick:  i.  Sheridan,  killed  in  the  Harrisburg 
yards  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad.  2.  Elizabeth,  died  January  2,  1912; 
married  Luther  Steeley.  3.  Louisa,  died  January  2,  1913,  unmarried. 
4.  Sylvester,  died  aged  five  years.  5.  Flotilla,  married  Harry  Rothrock, 
and  resides  in  Lewistown.  6.  Emanuel,  resides  in  Lewistown.  7.  Thurs- 
ton, of  whom  further.    8.  Viola,  died  in  infancy. 

(Ill)  Thurston,  son  of  John  F.  and  Mary  E.  (Wright)  Liddick, 
was  born  in  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  4,  1877.  He  attended 
public  schools,  and  until  1897,  worked  at  various  places  and  occupations. 
He  then  entered  the  employ  of  the  Standard  Steel  Works  Company,  and 
two  years  later  became  a  hammerman  in  the  axle  department,  continuing 
until  1912.  On  August  11,  191 1,  he  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty-three 
acres  in  Derry  township,  and  in  191 2  moved  thereon  and  began  general 
farming.  He  has  eleven  acres  in  fruit  and  is  very  successfully  specializ- 
ing in  fruits  of  varied  kinds.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  positive  in 
his  political  convictions,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

He  married,  January  23,  1896,  Albertina  M.  Ort,  born  in  Mifflin 
county,  Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Susan  (Buryman)  Ort. 


486  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

The  paternal  grandparents  of  John  Jacob  Crone,  of  Burn- 
CRONE     ham,   Pennsylvania,   lived  and  died  in   Germany,   leaving 
issue. 

(II)  Henry  Julius  Crone  was  born  in  Germany  in  1831,  and  was 
there  educated.  About  1849  he  came  to  the  United  States,  locating  at 
Pottsville,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  married.  Later  they  lived  at  Big 
Mine  Run,  Brady  Station,  Doutyville,  for  thirteen  years,  thence  to  Sha- 
mokin,  where  they  lived  twenty-three  years.  He  was  a  coal  miner,  fol- 
lowing that  business  until  his  retirement  shortly  before  his  death  in  1889. 
He  served  in  the  Union  army  during  the  civil  war,  and  was  engaged  at 
Antietam  and  other  hard- fought  battles.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  members  of  the  Grace  Lutheran  church,  at 
Shamokin.  He  married  Mary  Magdalene  Kopp,  born  in  Germany,  in 
1832,  came  to  the  L'nited  States  in  1848,  settling  in  Pottsville,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  she  joined  her  brother.  John  J.  Kopp,  who  came  earlier. 
Her  mother  died  in  Germany,  but  her  father  came  to  the  Lhiited  States 
and  died  in  Treverton,  where  he  is  buried.  She  died  in  1912.  Children: 
I.  Lena,  died  in  girlhood.  2.  Francis,  now  proprietor  of  a  meat  market 
at  Shamokin,  Pennsylvania.  3.  Herman,  died  in  Shamokin.  4.  Fred- 
ericka,  married  Joseph  Kersteter,  and  resides  in  Shamokin.  5.  Gotthilf, 
resides  in  Shamokin.  6.  Louis,  a  cigar  manufacturer  of  Shamokin.  7. 
Mary,  married  Samuel  Crist,  and  resides  at  Shamokin.  8.  Julius,  a 
farmer  of  Johnstown,  Pennsylvania.  9.  John  Jacob,  of  whom  further. 
10.  Henry,  died  in  infancy. 

(III )  John  Jacob,  son  of  Henry  Julius  and  Mary  Magdalene  (Kopp) 
Crone,  was  born  in  Treverton,  Pennsylvania,  October  26,  1867.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Doutyville  and  Shamokin,  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  in  boyhood  worked  at  the  mines  as  breaker  boy.  Later  he 
learned  the  butcher  business,  and  was  a  partner  with  his  brothers, 
Francis  and  Herman,  continuing  in  business  at  Shamokin  for  twenty- 
three  years.  In  1906  he  sold  his  interest  in  Shamokin.  and  in  April, 
1907,  moved  to  Burnham,  Mifflin  county,  where  he  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  the  same  business.  He  erected  a  three-story  building  thirty  by 
fifty  feet,  one-half  of  the  ground  floor  being  his  meat  market,  using  the 
remainder  as  a  residence.  He  is  well  established,  and  in  addition  to  his 
retail  business  also  has  a  wholesale  trade.  He  employes  three  men  and 
two  wagons,  and  has  ample  work  for  all.   He  thoroughly  understands  his 


HISTORY    OF    THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY  487 

business,  and  is  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  Burnham.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Loyal  Order  of  Moose,  and  both  he  and 
his  wife  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

He  married,  April  28,  1889,  Mary  L.  Rumburger,  born  in  Shamokin, 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Rumburger.  Children :  Emma,  married  Charles 
A.  Allison ;  Helen,  residing  at  home. 


Charles  Preston  Shirey,  of  good  old  English  stock,  whose 
SHIREY     family  has  long  been  connected  with  the  best  interests  of 

Pennsylvania,  is  one  of  the  leading  and  progressive  cit- 
izens of  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania.  The  first  Shirey  to  dare  brave  the 
dangers  of  the  New  World  was  one  James  S.,  who  crossed  early  in  1700, 
landing  at  New  York.  In  the  course  of  time  he  left  that  haven  and 
drifted  to  Connecticut  and  thence  to  Pennsylvania.  It  is  thought  that 
the  Shireys  of  Pennsylvania  all  descended  from  this  hardy  pioneer.  The 
family  data  is  very  incomplete,  but  as  far  as  can  be  traced  it  is : 

(I)  Charles  Shirey  and  his  wife  Catherine  were  both  born  at 
Beaver  Springs,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  tanner  by  occupation,  owned 
and  conducted  the  most  successful  tannery  in  that  region.  He  died  at 
an  advanced  age,  leaving  to  his  children  not  only  real  estate,  but  a  good 
name  that  has  been  handed  down  for  generations.  Children,  of  whom 
five  are  still  living:  i.  Samuel,  of  whom  further,  i.  Isaac.  3.  Joseph. 
4.  John.  5.  Mary,  widow  of  John  Brower.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Reformed  church. 

(II)  Samuel,  son  of  Charles  and  Catherine  Shirey.  was  born  at 
Beaver  Springs,  Pennsylvania.  He  owns  a  nice  farm  and  does  general 
farming.  He  gives  his  franchise  to  the  Democratic  party,  and  works  for 
it  actively.  Like  his  forefathers,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
church.  He  married  (first)  Mary  Ann  McClellan,  who  died  in  1891,  at 
Beaver  Springs.  Child :  Charles  Preston,  mentioned  below.  He  mar- 
ried (second)  Emma  Shumbaugh.  and  the  children  by  this  marriage  are: 
Mary,  Kate,  Elizabeth,  Frank,  Carrie. 

(III)  Charles  Preston,  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary  Ann  (McClellan) 
Shire}',  was  born  at  Beaver  Springs,  October  24,  1875.  He  was  reared 
on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the  township.  On 
reaching  maturity  he  rented  a  farm  in  Snyder  county,  where  he  remained 
for  two  years.     He  came  to  Lewistown  in  1900  and  engaged  with  the 


488  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUMATA    VALLEY 

Standard  Steel  Works,  and  then  was  employed  by  the  Lewistown  and 
Reedsville  electric  road  for  five  years.  In  February,  1906,  being  ambi- 
tious to  own  his  own  business,  he  established  a  restaurant  on  East  Mar- 
ket street  in  Lewistown,  where  he  has  succeeded  in  building  up  a  pros- 
perous and  ever  growing  business.  He  built  a  pretty  home  on  Electric 
avenue,  and  has  lived  there  since  1904.  He  is  considered  one  of  the 
up-to-date  citizens  of  his  town,  and  commands  the  respect  of  all  those 
who  know  him.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  like  his  forbears 
is  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church.  He  belongs  to  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle,  of  the  Fra- 
ternal Order  of  Eagles,  and  the  Owls.  He  married,  December  6,  1895, 
Sallie  K.  Youtz,  a  native  of  Union  county,  and  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Maria  (Kleckner)  Youtz.  Children:  i.  Esther  Maria,  born  Sep- 
tember 14,  1896,  died  April  i,  1897.    2.  Sara,  born  March  13,  1898. 

(The  Youtz  Line). 

(I)  Henry  and  Sarah  (Brillbart)  Youtz  were  both  born  in  Lebanon 
county,  Pennsylvania,  of  German  parents.  Their  families  moved  to 
Center  county  in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century.  He  followed  the  dis- 
tilling business  for  many  years,  and  also  did  farming.  He  was  origin- 
ally a  Roman  Catholic,  but  his  wife  converted  him  to  the  Evangelical 
church.  He  finally  moved  to  his  son's  home  in  Mifflinburg,  and  there 
died  at  a  ripe  old  age.  Children:  George,  Henry,  Peter,  Samuel,  of 
whom  further;  Aaron,  John,  William,  David,  Elias,  Sarah,  Margaret, 
Mary,  Susannah.  Many  of  them  moved  out  to  the  middle  and  far  west, 
and  their  descendants  live  there. 

(II)  Samuel  Youtz,  son  of  Henry  and  Sarah  (Brillbart)  Youtz, 
was  born  in  Center  county,  Pennsylvania,  January  19.  1831.'  He  mar- 
ried Maria  Kleckner,  born  April  14,  1838,  in  Union  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia, daughter  of  David  and  Esther  (Wingard)  Kleckner.  Each  grew 
to  maturity  in  their  respective  counties,  met  and  married.  After  their 
marriage  they  moved  to  Center  Hall,  Center  county,  there  he  followed 
the  occupation  of  cabinet-making  and  undertaking.  After  several  years 
he  moved  to  Union  county  on  account  of  failing  health,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twelve  acres  in  Buffalo  and  Limestone 
townships,  and  there  continued  to  live  until  shortly  before  his  death, 
when  he  moved  to  MifHinburg,  where  he  died  November  27,  1899,  aged 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  489 

sixty-eight  3'ears.  Both  were  members  of  St.  John's  Reformed  Church, 
and  she  has  the  distinction  of  having  been  a  member  for  sixty  years. 
Children:  i.  David,  lived  at  the  Needles,  California.  2.  Christopher, 
makes  his  home  in  Jacksonville,  Florida.  3.  Sallie  K.,  wife  of  Charles 
Preston  Shirey  (see  Shirey  III). 

(The  Kleckner  Line). 

David  and  Esther  (Wingard)  Kleckner.  the  grandparents  of  Mrs. 
Charles  Preston  Shirey,  were  of  straight  German  descent.  David  was 
the  son  of  the  original  immigrant  who  came  across  and  settled  in  Union 
county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  became  prosperous  and  a  large  land 
holder.  David  was  born  in  Union  county  in  1802,  and  died  in  Mifflin- 
burg  in  1888.  After  their  marriage  they  lived  on  a  farm  of  over  three 
hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and  he  was  considered  one  of  the  wealthy  men 
of  that  section.  He  retired  from  active  life  and  moved  to  Milflinburg. 
They  were  members  of  the  St.  John's  Reformed  Church.  They  had  a 
family  of  nine  girls,  of  whom  they  were  very  proud.  Children:  Mar- 
garet, Barbara,  Maria,  wife  of  Samuel  Youtz;  Christina,  Esther,  Emma, 
Lottie,  Sarah,  a  physician;  Elizabeth.  Of  these,  Barbara,  Christina  and 
Elizabeth  are  still  living. 


William  John  Worley.  of  Burnham,  Pennsylvania,  can 
WORLEY     claim  a  straight  English  ancestry.     His  progenitor,  Jesse 

Worley,  was  among  tlie  many  respectable,  industrious 
Englishmen  who  came  to  the  United  States  when  it  was  yet  a  wild 
country  and  known  to  the  world  at  large  by  the  ambiguous  name, 
America.  Honest  and  upright  in  England,  he  was  honest  aand  upright 
in  the  United  States,  and  his  descendants  have  proven  themselves  worthy 
citizens  of  the  Great  Republic. 

(I)  Jesse  Worley,  the  emigrant,  was  born,  reared  and  married  to  his 
wife,  ]\Iary,  in  England.  He  came  from  the  working  class.  Hoping  to 
better  his  fortunes  and  to  give  his  children  more  advantages  socially, 
educationally  and  financially  than  he  had  enjoyed,  even  under  a  liberal 
monarchy,  he  emigrated  with  his  wife,  coming  direct  to  New  York. 
From  New  York  he  went  to  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
settled.  He  was  a  gun  barrel  maker,  a  master  in  the  trade,  and  his  bar- 
rels were  in  great  demand  in  those  days  when  men  used  guns  to  pro- 


490  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

cure  for  them  part  of  their  daily  food.  Later  he  moved  to  Berks  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  soon  thereafter  both  he  and  his  wife  died.  They 
were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  did  much  good  among  their 
neighbors,  who  were  not  blessed  with  as  much  of  this  world's  goods  as 
they.  Children:  i.  ^^'i^iam  Jesse,  of  whom  further.  2.  John,  married 
Mary  Swank.  3.  Henry,  married  Isabel  Mohn.  4.  Samuel,  married 
Hannah  Riechle)'.  5.  Obadiah,  who  is  still  living.  6.  Caroline,  died  mi- 
married.     7.  Elizabeth,  married  John  Bitting. 

(II)  William  Jesse,  son  of  Jesse  and  Mary  Worley,  was  born  in 
Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  11,  1827,  died  February  28,  1903.  He 
married  Eleanor  Bertram,  born  in  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  Septem- 
ber 8,  1841,  died  December  30,  1904,  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Nellie 
( Roeder)  Bertram.  He  reached  maturity  in  Berks  county,  and  there 
married.  After  marriage  he  moved  to  Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania, 
about  1848.  and  located  in  Brown  township.  He  became  a  builder  and 
contractor,  following  that  occupation  many  years,  and  erected  many  of 
the  homes  of  that  day  in  the  county.  He  voted  with  the  Democratic 
party  in  national  as  well  as  local  affairs,  and  was  entrusted  with  various 
offices  of  the  township,  which  trust  he  never  betrayed.  He  was  a 
devout  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  Reformed  church,  and  his  wife 
was  an  equally  devout  Presbyterian.  He  enlisted  in  a  Pennsylvania 
company  during  the  civil  war  and  served  from  April  until  July  of  1865, 
but  was  in  no  battle.  Children:  i.  Mary,  deceased:  married  John  Dip- 
pie.  2.  Henry,  a  carpenter  by  vocation :  makes  home  in  Ohio :  has  two 
children.  3.  Emmeline,  died  in  infancy.  4.  William  John,  of  whom 
further.  5.  Jennie,  deceased:  married  James  Kline:  was  mother  of  five 
children.  6.  Sally,  married  Alfred  Baker;  lives  near  Mifflin,  Pennsylva- 
nia ;  three  children.  7.  James,  died  aged  twenty-three.  8.  Ella,  mar- 
ried Elliott  ]\Ianbeck:  lives  in  Burnham:  four  children.  9.  Candace, 
married  Robert  Ramsey :  lives  in  Ohio :  three  children.  10.  Emma,  lives 
at  Reedsville.  11.  Kate,  married  John  ^^^ertz:  lives  in  Reedsville;  three 
children.  12.  Nora,  married  William  Smith:  lives  in  Pittsburgh:  four 
children.     13.  Rose,  died  aged  sixteen. 

(III)  William  John,  son  of  William  Jesse  and  Eleanor  (Bertram) 
^^'^orley,  was  born  in  Brown  township,  Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  Feb- 
ruary 12,  1857.  He  was  educated  in  Woodland  township  public  school. 
Leaving  school  he  followed  his  father's  vocation,  and  learned  the  car- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  491 

penter's  and  builder's  trade.  In  1880  he  went  to  Reading,  Pennsylvania, 
and  continued  successfully  the  carpentering  business.  Sometime  later 
he  entered  the  carpenter's  department  of  a  planing  mill.  He  was  offered 
and  accepted  a  position  as  salesman  in  a  mercantile  store,  where  he  re- 
mained four  years.  In  March,  1903,  he  returned  to  Mifflin  county  and 
located  at  Burnham,  entering  the  carpentering  departments  of  the  Stand- 
ard Steel  Works,  a  branch  of  the  Baldwin  Locomotive  Works,  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  remained  four  years  in  the  employ  of  the  corporation.  Dur- 
ing the  panic  of  1907,  in  common  with  many  other  workmen,  he  was  laid 
off  and  he  turned  his  attention  to  politics,  for  which  he  has  great  ability. 
In  1909  he  was  elected  tax  collector  for  Derry  township  for  three  years, 
but  the  term  was  extended  by  a  recent  law.  Among  his  other  enternrises 
is  the  selling  of  fruit  trees,  representing  some  of  the  most  reliable  nurse- 
ries in  that  part  of  the  State.  In  1906  he  built  a  large  double  house  on 
the  "Pike,"  and  there  lives.  Two  years  previous  to  this  he  had  erected 
a  house,  also  on  the  "Pike."  He  is  a  Democrat,  working  for  and  voting 
with  that  party..  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
aiding  it  in  every  way  possible.  He  married,  June  27,  1884,  Elizabeth 
Knorr,  of  Heidelburg  township,  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  daughter 
of  Cato  S.  and  Elizabeth  Priscilla  (Brossman)  Knorr,  old  residents  of 
Heidelburg.  Cato  S.  Knorr  was  born  in  Northumberland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, about  1835,  and  his  wife  was  born  in  Berks  county  in  1832. 
He  was  an  undertaker  and  farmer,  and  was  one  of  the  best-known  men 
of  his  day  in  that  part  of  Pennsylvania.  The  father  of  Priscilla  (Bross- 
man )  Knorr  was  Adam  Brossman,  whose  parents  were  among  the  early 
German  settlers  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  farmer  and  accumulated  a 
large  amount  of  property.  Children:  i.  Charles  B.,  lives  in  Burnham;  a 
fireman  in  the  Standard  Steel  Works;  married  Annie  Widney,  and  has 
three  children:  Elsie,  John  William  and  Thelma.  2.  Elsie,  died  aged 
three.    3.  Clarence,  died  in  infancy.     4.  An  infant,  died  unnamed. 

Jonathan  Bertram  and  his  wife,  Nellie  (Roeder)  Bertram,  parents 
of  Eleanor  (Bertram)  \\'orley,  were  old  residents  of  Wernersville, 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  noted  organist  in  his  day,  and  was  ranked 
among  the  best  music  teachers  in  that  section  of  the  country.  He  also 
taught  school,  founding  his  own  school,  which  became  famous  while  he 
managed  it.  He  had  for  his  pupils  many  of  the  notabilities  of  the  pres- 
ent day.    He  died  in  Wernersville.  regretted  by  all  of  those  who  knew 


492  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

him.  His  wife  was  of  an  old  and  distinguished  Pennsylvania  family, 
whose  ancestors  came  in  colonial  days  from  Germany  and  settled  in  thd 
wilderness.  The  family  is  widely  scattered  over  the  United  States, 
north,  south,  east  and  west,  some  even  finding  their  way  into  Mexico, 
where  Phillip  G.  Roeder  lives  with  his  wife  and  four  children.  Children 
of  Jonathan  and  Nellie  (Roeder)  Bertram:  i.  John,  died  young.  2. 
Peter.  3.  Eleanor,  who  was  wife  of  William  Jesse  W'orley  and  mother 
of  ^\'iIliam  John  W'orley.  4.  Elizabeth,  married  John  Lamb.  5.  Mary, 
married  Henry  Binkley.  6.  Emma,  married  Henry  Spangler,  and  is  the 
only  one  living.  7.  Susanna,  married  a  Mr.  Fultz.  8.  Sarah,  married  a 
Mr.  Barkman.    9.  Rebecca,  married  Henry  Ruth. 


Magnus  Tate,  the  first  of  the  name  in  this  country,  emigrated 
TATE  from  the  Orkney  Islands,  north  of  Scotland,  and  landed  at 
Philadelphia,  May  20,  1696,  eventually  locating  in  that  part 
of  Frederick  county,  Virginia,  which  later  became  Jefferson  county, 
West  Virginia.  He  is  said  to  have  died  in  September,  1747.  His  wife, 
Honour  Tate,  died  prior  to  August  16,  1750.  As  far  as  known  they 
had  but  one  son,  Alagnus,  born  April  5,  1732,  died  ]\Iarch,  1808,  married 
Mary  Riley  McCormick.  From  this  Virginia  family  it  is  believed  the 
Pennsylvania  family  of  the  Juniata  Valley  sprang.  The  earliest  record 
found  of  them  is  in  Center  county,  and  the  first  record  found  is  of  Wil- 
liam Tate. 

(I)  William  Tate  was  born  in  Center  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
there  spent  his  life  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  a  man  of  quiet,  indus- 
trious habits,  but  prosperous  and  respected.  He  married  Mary  Watson, 
also  a  native  of  Center  county.  Children:  i.  Nancy,  married  Benjamin 
Bodle,  and  died  at  the  Center  county  homestead.  2.  Eli  Potter,  of 
whom  further.  3.  Andrew  Gregg,  a  farmer,  yet  living  in  Center  county. 
4.  John  Wesley,  died  in  Clearfield  county,  Pennsylvania;  was  a  miller. 

(II)  Eli  Potter,  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Watson)  Tate,  was  born 
in  Center  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  8,  1845.  He  attended  the  public 
school,  and  grew  to  manhood  at  the  home  farm,  remaining  with  his 
parents  until  departing  for  the  war.  He  enlisted  February  25,  1864,  in 
Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-eighth  Regiment  Pennsylvania 
Volunteer  Infantry,  serving  until  May  30,  1865,  participating  in  the  bat- 
tles of  the  Wilderness,  Spottsylvania,  Paul  River  and  Gravel  Run.     He 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  493 

was  severely  wounded  three  times  in  battle,  and  spent  many  months  on  a 
bed  of  suffering  in  the  hospital.  His  first  wounds  confined  him  from 
May  to  December  21,  1864,  and  other  injuries  kept  him  from  duty  from 
March  until  May,  1865.  After  the  war  he  returned  home,  and  there  was 
nursed  back  to  health  and  vigor.  In  1868  he  married,  and  for  the  next 
thirty  years  rented  and  cultivated  different  farms  in  Center  county. 
About  1898  he  moved  to  Yeagertown,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home 
with  his  son,  George  C.  Tate.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  and  in  political  faith  a  Republican.  He  married  Julia 
Johnsonbaugh,  born  in  Center  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  August,  1846, 
died  March  5,  1895,  daughter  of  George  and  Sarah  (Emerick)  Johnson- 
baugh, of  German  descent,  both  natives  of  Center  county,  where  both 
died.  Children:  Susan,  deceased;  Kate,  deceased;  Mary;  Alfred;  Jerry, 
deceased ;  Julia,  deceased ;  George  W. ;  William ;  Sarah ;  John ;  James ; 
Charles ;  Calvin,  and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  Children  of  Eli  Potter 
Tate:  i.  George  Calvin,  of  whom  further.  2.  William,  died  in  Monon- 
gahela  City;  was  a  telegraph  operator.  3.  Burton,  now  a  farmer  of 
Ohio.  4.  Newton,  now  living  in  Wilmerding,  Pennsylvania ;  a  car  re- 
pairer. 5.  Luther,  twin  of  Newton,  now  living  in  Braddock.  Pennsylva- 
nia; foreman  in  the  Westinghouse  works.  6.  John,  died  aged  about 
twenty  years.     7.  Mary,  died  in  191 1,  aged  twenty  years. 

(Ill)  George  Calvin,  son  of  Eli  Potter  and  Julia  (Johnsonbaugh) 
Tate,  was  born  in  Center  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  4,  1870.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools,  and  imtil  twenty  years  of  age.  remained  with 
his  parents.  He  then  began  learning  the  miller's  trade  in  Clearfield 
county,  remaining  two  years,  then  in  1892  came  to  Yeagertown.  He 
entered  the  employ  of  J.  M.  Yeager  in  his  mill,  continuing  until  1900. 
He  then  became  interested  in  contracting  and  building,  a  business  for 
which  he  has  a  natural  aptitude,  and  one  in  which  he  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful. While  his  principal  business  is  the  erection  of  dwellings,  he  has 
also  been  the  principal  contractor  on  many  important  public  buildings 
and  business  blocks  of  the  county.  A  list  of  such  buildings  would  in- 
clude the  original  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  and  the  public 
school  buildings  at  Burnham,  the  Sentinel  and  Lewistown  Trust  Com- 
pany buildings  at  Lewistown,  also  several  churches  and  numerous  school 
houses.  In  connection  with  his  building  operations  he  conducts  a  stock 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Derry  township,  which  he  pur- 


494  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

chased  in  1908,  and  there  speciahzes  in  Belgian  and  Percheron  draft 
horses  and  Holstein  cattle.  This  farm  is  becoming  noted  for  the  excel- 
lence of  the  strains  there  produced,  the  owner  being  deeply  interested  in 
the  success  of  his  stock  farm  and  in  having  it  rank  with  the  best  in  his 
county.  In  1901  Mr.  Tate  erected  his  own  residence  at  No.  24  North 
Main  street,  Yeagertown,  which  was  the  family  home  until  19 13,  when 
he  moved  to  his  farm.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  for  twelve 
years  has  served  with  much  usefulness  as  school  director  for  Derry 
township. 

He  married,  October  13,  1892,  Kate  Hoy,  born  in  Center  county, 
Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Yearick)  Hoy,  of  an  old 
county  family,  both  deceased.  Children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoy :  Ira 
Wellington,  died  in  infancy.  2.  Annie,  married  William  Bridge;  one 
child,  Willard  J.  3.  Kate,  married  George  C.  Tate.  4.  Josephine,  mar- 
ried Newton  Dorman;  one  child,  Sherwood;  by  a  previous  marriage  she 
had  child,  Robert  Long.  5.  Molly,  married  Russell  Stemm  ;  two  children : 
Foster  and  Mary  C.  6.  Sarah,  never  married.  7.  Elsie,  married  Blaine 
Noll.  Children  of  George  C.  and  Kate  (Hoy)  Tate:  i.  Lloyd,  died  in 
infancy.  2.  Catherine,  student  at  Yeagertown  high  school.  3.  Marian, 
student  at  Yeagertown  high  school.  4.  Foster.  5.  Frederick.  6.  Mary 
Olive. 


From  every  land  the  Millers  came  to  this  country. 
MILLER     Wherever  there  was  a  mill,  there  was  a  miller,  and  when 

surnames  were  adopted.  Millers  became  plentiful.  In  the 
Juniata  Valley  of  Pennsylvania  there  are  several  unrelated  families 
claiming  German,  English  and  Scotch-Irish  descent.  From  one  of  these 
came  Samuel  Miller,  a  blacksmith  of  Stone  Valley,  Huntingdon  county. 
He  later  came  to  Mififlin  county,  following  his  trade  in  Big  Valley,  Vira 
and  Achison's  Mills,  where  both  he  and  his  wife  Belle  died,  both  mein- 
bers  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  By  a  former  marriage  he  had  two 
daughters,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Harmon,  now  a  widow  living  at  Lumber  City, 
near  Reedsville,  Pennsylvania ;  and  Mrs.  Caroline  Osborne,  who  died  in 

Reedsville.      Children  of   Samuel   and   Belle   Miller:   ,   married   a 

Mcllroy;  Samuel;  David;  John  M.,  of  whom  further;  Benjamin;  Jacob; 

Mary,  married  Wilkey,  of  Reedsville:  Rachel  Newcomer,  moved 

to  Nebraska. 


/^  ^  ^i-^Jm^ 


HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY  495 

(II)  John  Mcllroy,  son  of  Samuel  and  Belle  Miller,  was  born  in 
Stone  Valley,  Huntingdon,  Pennsylvania,  October  lo,  185 1,  died  in 
Yeagertown,  Pennsylvania,  February  28,  19 12.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  Kishacoquillas  Valley,  and  in  early  life  worked  on 
the  farm.  He  also  for  several  years  was  a  fence  maker,  later  he  worked 
in  an  axe  factory,  then  in  the  Standard  Steel  W'orks  at  Burnham.  He 
was  industrious  and  saving  and  about  1893  had  sufhcient  capital  to  start 
in  the  lumber  business.  For  a  short  time  he  operated  with  a  partner, 
Samuel  Dell,  then  and  until  1908  was  alone  in  the  business  of  manufac- 
turing lumber.  He  operated  a  saw  mill  and  kept  a  force  of  from  eight  to 
ten  men  and  several  teams  constantly  employed.  His  field  of  operation 
was  largely  in  the  timber  tracts  of  the  Ferguson  Valley  at  Painter,  on 
the  Krepps  farm,  at  Brocks  and  Hooley's,  near  Reedsville,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  working  in  the  Havice  Valley.  In  1908  his  fail- 
ing health  compelled  him  to  again  take  a  partner,  and  from  then  until  his 
death  he  was  associated  with  Joseph  Hollis.  Mr.  Miller  was  a  hard- 
working, careful,  conscientious  man,  strictly  honorable  in  his  dealings 
and  generous  to  all.  He  was  highly  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  He 
was  fond  of  his  home  and  carefully  provided  for  those  dependent  upon 
him.  He  gave  his  lumber  business  his  chief  attention,  but  as  a  director 
of  the  Lewistown  Trust  Company  carefully  fulfilled  his  duty  to  that  in- 
stitution. He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  never  sought  public  office, 
although  he  served  a  term  as  school  director.  He  belonged  to  the  Odd 
Fellows,  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

He  married,  March  15,  1877,  Chestina  Smith,  born  at  Queens  Run, 
near  Lock  Haven,  Pennsylvania,  who  survives  him,  residing  at  No.  24 
Main  street,  Yeagertown,  in  the  comfortable  home  erected  by  her  hus- 
band in  1878,  and  her  home  for  thirty-five  years.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Martha  (Baird)  Smith,  both  born  in  Clinton  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  they  married  about  1856.  settling  near  Liberty,  and  in 
1864  moving  to  Liberty,  where  they  both  died;  he  was  a  farmer  and  a 
Democrat,  and  both  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Their  children :  Elizabeth,  Sarah  Ann,  Mary  Jane,  William,  Cordelia, 
Araminta,  Chestina,  Effie  and  Matilda.  These  are  all  living  except  Effie. 
Children  of  John  M.  and  Chestina  Miller :  An  infant,  died  unnamed : 
Roy,  born  in  1879,  died  in  1897. 


496  HISTORY    OF    THE    JUNIATA    VALLEY 

The  paternal  American  ancestor  of  Dr.  William  Scott 
HUNTER  Hunter,  of  Reedsville,  Pennsylvania,  was  Dr.  John  Hun- 
ter, born  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  died  in  Upper  Stras- 
burg  township,  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1870.  He  was  a  grad- 
uate of  the  University  of  Glasgow,  medical  department,  class  of  1812, 
and  about  1820  came  to  the  United  States,  settling  in  Upper  Strasburg. 
There  for  nearly  a  half  a  century  he  was  in  continuous  practice,  resign- 
ing a  few  years  before  his  death,  to  his  son,  Dr.  William  A.  Hunter, 
who  also  continued  in  practice  there  many  years. 

Dr.  John  Hunter  spent  his  last  years  with  his  son,  Dr.  Robert  Irvin 
Hunter,  at  New  Grenada,  Pennsylvania.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  helpful  in  all  the  charitable 
work  of  the  district.  In  his  long  years  of  practice  he  became  one  of  the 
best  known  physicians  of  Franklin  county,  and  was  held  in  the  highest 
esteem  as  a  skillful,  honorable  practitioner.  He  married  a  Miss  Russell. 
Children : 

I.  JNIartha.  who  married  Joseph  Hunter,  not  a  relative.  2.  Mary, 
died  young.  3.  Jennnie,  married  William  Glenn  and  moved  to  Kansas, 
where  both  died.  4.  Dr.  William  A.,  an  honored  physician  of  Franklin 
county,  succeeded  his  father  in  LTpper  Strasburg,  where  he  died  aged 
sixty-iive  years.     5.  Robert  Irvin,  of  whom  further. 

(II)  Dr.  Robert  Irvin  Hunter,  son  of  Dr.  John  Hunter,  was  born 
in  LTpper  Strasburg,  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  July  9,  183 1,  and 
died  in  Fulton  county,  Pennsylvania,  July  15,  1891.  He  was  well  edu- 
cated in  the  Franklin  county  schools,  and  early  began  his  preparation  for 
the  medical  profession.  After  a  preparatory  course  of  study  with  his 
father,  he  entered  Jefiferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  whence  he 
was  graduated  M.  D.,  class  of  1855.  He  settled  in  Fulton  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  before  the  war  practiced  at  various  places.  When  the  war 
between  the  states  broke  out  he  enlisted  in  Company  I,  Second  Regiment. 
Iowa  Cavalry,  served  in  the  Memphis  and  Vicksburg  campaigns,  but 
later  left  the  military  for  the  hospital  service,  being  stationed  at  Jeffer- 
son Barracks,  Missouri.  With  the  exception  of  an  attack  of  pneumonia, 
he  passed  safely  through  the  war.  After  receiving  honorable  discharge 
from  the  service  he  returned  to  Fulton  county,  where  he  continued  his 
residence  until  death.  He  was  prominent  in  the  public  afifairs  of  his 
community,  served  as  school  director  for  twenty  years  and  a  justice  of 


^^ 


5  1940